ATC judge, wife, daughter-in-law, child martyred on Motorway in Swabi

SWABI: A judge of the Anti-Terrorism Court, his wife, daughter-in-law and her son were martyred when unidentified gunmen fired indiscriminately at them at the Ambar Interchange in Swabi district on the Islamabad-Peshawar Motorway on Sunday.

Sources said that the judge, Aftab Khan Afridi, was on his way back to Islamabad from Swat where he was serving for the last two months when the incident happened. When his vehicle reached the Ambar Interchange on the Islamabad-Peshawar Motorway, some unidentified armed men opened indiscriminate fire on the judge and his family in the jurisdiction of the Chota Lahor City Police Station

DIG Police Mardan Yaseen Farooq reached the spot along with District Police Officer (DPO), Swabi, Muhammad Shoaib, soon after the incident. DPO Mohammad Shoaib told reporters that the two women and a child shot dead along with the judge were his relatives.

However, another police official said that the slain woman could be his wife and the child was his son. When reached for his reaction, Chota Lahor City Police Station SHO Altaf Khan said that the slain judge Aftab Afridi was on his way to Islamabad. He said that a car overtook them and its occupants opened indiscriminate fire on the vehicle of the judge.

Police said that the judge, the two women and a child were killed on the spot. The attackers were able to escape. They were shot from a close range and the photos of the deceased showed that a volley of bullets was fired at them.

The judge was performing duty in the Anti-Terrorism Court (ATC) in Swat. Judges working in the ATC remain at risk as they hear and decide cases of terrorism suspects. Jehangir Khan, driver of the judge, was seriously injured and was taken to the Bacha Khan Hospital Complex at Shahmansoor in Swabi. There were reports that two security guards of the judge travelling in another vehicle were also injured.

Meanwhile, Chief Minister Mahmood Khan has ordered a probe into the incident. He directed the police to bring the attackers to justice as early as possible. The Swat Bar Association in a statement condemned the attack and announced that the lawyers in Swat won’t appear in the courts on Monday as a mark of protest.

In February 2019, the Peshawar High Court judge, Justice Ayub Khan, was injured in an attack on his car when he was on the way to the court in Peshawar. Mumtaz Alvi adds: Prime Minister Imran Khan strongly condemned the murder of ATC judge Aftab Afridi, his wife and two children at the Swabi interchange.

He tweeted, “strongly condemn the murder of ATC judge Aftab Afridi, his wife & 2 children at Anbar Interchange, Swabi. The perpetrators of this gruesome act will be apprehended & dealt with full severity of the law”.