A judicial magistrate on Tuesday remanded in police custody a suspect for allegedly killing senior lawyer and former Supreme Court Bar Association (SCBA) president Abdul Latif Afridi yesterday.

Afridi, 80, was sitting in the Peshawar High Court bar room with other lawyers when the att­acker opened fire at him, according to the police. He was rushed to Lady Reading Hospital but could not survive.

The police claimed that the attacker, identified as Adnan Samiullah Afridi, was arrested from the crime scene and moved to East Canto­n­ment Police Station where a case was registered.

An officer at the police station told Dawn that the suspect had confessed to the crime and that he had killed the victim over a family feud.

Separately, Peshawar Capital City Police Officer Muhammad Ijaz Khan formed a fact-finding committee, with the SSP investigation as its head, to determine how the attackers managed to sneak a weapon into the court’s premises.

The committee will submit its report within 24 hours.

Earlier today, the suspect was presented before Judicial Magistrate Badar Munir. The court, accepting the police plea, remanded Adnan into custody for two days.

Funeral

The funeral of the senior lawyer was held at Hayatabad’s Bagh-i-Naran.

Ahead of the funeral, a number of politicians, lawyers and other notables, including PHC Chief Justice Qaiser Rashid, arrived at the funeral home. Peshawar Mayor Zubair Ali and Federal Law Minister Azam Nazeer Tarar were also in attendance.

Dawn.com’s correspondent at the site saw elaborate security arrangements, which were being monitored by CCPO Khan himself.

Meanwhile, during a hearing today, Chief Justice of Pakistan Umar Ata Bandial termed Afridi’s killing a “huge loss” and said that the lawyer was a “great personality”.

‘A progressive voice no more’

Afridi’s killing marks the end of an era and has left the legal fraternity and his admirers shaken.

Latif Afridi, commonly known as Latif Lala, has left behind a legacy of a decades-long struggle for civil liberties, democracy, rule of law, and the rights of people, especially those belonging to the erstwhile Federally Administered Tribal Areas.

Born in 1943, he had done his LLB from the University of Peshawar in 1968 and his career as a lawyer spanned over five decades. His election as the president of the Supreme Court Bar Association in 2020 and multiple tenures as the president of the Peshawar High Court Bar Association is a testimony to his popularity among the lawyer community.

He had also remained the vice chairman and a member of the Pakistan Bar Council.

He was also a blunt critic of militancy in the region and often called for a clear state policy on terrorism. He was also vocal against the military’s interference in politics and termed the practice usurpation of the fundamental rights of people.

During his lifetime, Latif Lala was known for his progressive politics. Dur­ing his political career, he largely remained associated with the Awami National Party, with which he stayed until a few years ago. Before his death, he was a part of the National Democratic Party — a recently-formed party led by North Waziristan lawmaker Mohsin Dawar.

Additional reporting by Haseeb Bhatti