QUETTA: A judge of the Environmental Protection Tribunal was killed in his office in Samungli road area here on Friday.

“A gunman entered the office of Sakhi Sultan and opened fire at him,” a police official said. The judge was hit by only one bullet in the head and died on the spot, said police and doctors in the civil hospital where his body had been taken for post-mortem.

Later the body was handed over to relatives who buried it in the Kasi graveyard. A large number of lawyers and leaders and workers of the PPP and other political parties attended the funeral.

Sakhi Sultan was a senior lawyer and a political activist. His association with the PPP spanned over four decades and he worked as general secretary of the party’s provincial chapter.

He also served as president of the Balochistan Bar Association (BBA) and advocate general of the province. Two years ago, he was appointed judge of the Environment Protection Tribunal.

A police officer said the case was being investigated to determine the motive of the crime. He added that it appeared to be a case of targeted killing.

The BBA and the PPP’s provincial chapter have condemned the murder and announced three days of mourning.

Sadiq Ali Umrani, provincial president of the PPP, said the murder of Sakhi Sultan had deprived the party of a senior leader and a fighter for democracy. He was jailed several times for taking part in movements against military rulers, Mir Umrani recalled.

Our staff reporter adds from Islamabad: The Pakistan Bar Council has called upon legal fraternity to boycott court proceedings on Saturday in protest against the brutal murder of Sakhi Sultan.

PBC Vice Chairman Mohammad Ramzan Chaudhry also asked lawyers to hold protest meetings.

Supreme Court Bar Association President Kamran Murtaza has urged the government to ensure arrest of the killer.

He told reporters that he had urged the government to provide adequate security to judges and lawyers but the federal and provincial authorities ignored his request.

Published in Dawn, June 21st, 2014