PESHAWAR: A Peshawar High Court judge and his driver were injured in a gun attack in Hayatabad area here on Thursday.

The police said the gunmen targeted Justice Mohammad Ayub Marwat near his house.

Peshawar SSP (operation) Zahoor Babar said two motorcyclists fired bullets at Justice Ayub’s official car at around 8am when he left his Judges’ Colony house for office.

He said the judge was shot twice, one in the right arm and the other in the face, while his driver, Mohammad Gul, received a bullet injury in left arm.

The SSP said the injured were rushed to the hospital, where they were stable after initial treatment.

TTP claims responsibility, threatens more such attacks

He said the judges had mandatory security retinue and therefore, the police were examining why the guard didn’t accompany the judge at the time of attack.

A source said the police had recovered 36 empty shells of the rounds from the crime scene.

He said a submachine gun and a 9mm pistol were used in the attack.

The source said the attackers opened fire on the vehicle from both front and backside and thus, badly damaging it.

He said it seemed that first the car’s tyres were targeted and when the car stopped, the gunmen sprayed it with bullets.

Driver Gul Mohammad said two gunmen attacked the vehicle but he didn’t see their motorcycle, which would have been parked nearby.

He said he shifted the judge to the hospital in another vehicle.

The driver said the attackers also fired gunshots into the air to scare the people standing at a distance.

The outlawed Tehreek-i-Taliban Pakistan claimed responsibility for the attack in a message and announced that such attacks would continue.

Justice Ayub has served as a district and session judge in many districts.

He also acted as an accountability court’s judge and the Peshawar High Court’s registrar.

He was elevated as the high court judge in 2016 and will retire in May this year.

PHC Chief Justice Waqar Ahmad Seth and other judges rushed to the hospital and inquired after the judge and his driver.

Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Governor Shah Farman also visited the judge in the hospital.

ANP secretary general Mian Iftikhar Hussain condemned the attack and demanded effective implementation of the National Action Plan to eradicate terrorism.

The KP Bar Council announced the boycott of courts across the province today (Friday) to protest the gun attack against Justice Ayub and demanded the immediate arrest of attackers.

The Judicial Employees Association also announced a daylong protest for the day.

Published in Dawn, March 1st, 2019