ATC judge murder case: Two more arrested as PHC accepts Latif Afridi’s pre-arrest bail

PESHAWAR: The police on Wednesday arrested two more accused and recovered a vehicle said to be used in the murder of the Anti-Terrorism Court Judge Swat and his three family members on April 4 at the Ambar Interchange on the Peshaswar-Islamabad Motorway in Swabi district.

Meanwhile, the Peshawar High Court (PHC) granted bail before arrest to senior lawyer Abdul Latif Afridi, who was nominated along with his son and others in the case by the family of the deceased.

ATC Swat Judge Aftab Afridi, his wife, daughter-in-law and a minor grandson were martyred in the attack on his car on the Motorway near Swabi. The guard of the judge and driver had sustained injuries in the attack.

The son of the martyred judge, Abdul Majid Afridi, had mentioned six identified accused and four unknown people in the first information report (FIR) lodged at the Chota Lahor Police Station in Swabi. They included senior lawyer and president of the Supreme Court Bar Association Abdul Latif Afridi and his son Danish Afridi. "The vehicle used in the attack was recovered on Wednesday while two accused, Aziz and Daud, were arrested. Raids are being conducted to arrest the other accused in the case but their identity is not being disclosed," said an official.

On Wednesday, the PHC accepted the bail before arrest application of the SCBA President Latif Afridi in the case. Latif Afridi is a senior lawyer and was also elected once as Member of the National Assembly from Khyber. His son Danish Afridi has already been arrested.

Slain judge Aftab Afridi’s brother Samiullah Afridi, who was the legal counsel for Dr Shakil Afridi, serving imprisonment in the

The Supreme Court Bar Association in a press release on Monday had stated that Latif Afridi had strongly condemned the incident and rejected his or his son's involvement in the case. It said Afridi has assured to fully cooperate with the investigation teams in the case. "The SCBA extends deepest condolences and sympathies to the family of innocent victims of the incident and demands the removal of the names of SCBA president and his son falsely implicated in the FIR," added the press release.