LOWER DIR: A lawyer was shot dead inside a mosque in Khall tehsil here on Friday night, the police and residents said.

They said Syed Azam Shah Advocate, 45, a leader of Peoples Lawyers Forum, was injured when a man, identified as Nisar, allegedly opened fire on him inside a mosque in Jabagai village of Rani area.

The injured was shifted to the District Headquarters Hospital, Timergara, where he succumbed to injuries.

The police registered a case under Section 302 of Pakistan Penal Code and started investigation.

According to the FIR lodged by the deceased’s brother, Syed Bilal Hussain, the incident occurred during a reconciliation meeting between two rival parties. He alleged that the suspect fired at his brother after an exchange of harsh words, killing him on the spot.

The district bar association on Saturday boycotted court proceedings in protest against the killing.

Meanwhile, the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Bar Council condemned the killing, terming it an attack on the legal fraternity.

The deceased was laid to rest in his ancestral Jabagai village. A large number of lawyers, political and social figures, relatives and local residents attended his funeral prayers.

SANITATION MACHINARY: The provincial government on Friday handed over more than 45 sanitation vehicles and equipment worth Rs22.5 million to municipal workers under its ‘Clean and Transparent Khyber Pakhtunkhwa’ initiative in Jandol tehsil.

A ceremony to this effect was held at the Community Centre Munda.

District development advisory committee chairman and parliamentary secretary for health Ubaidur Rehman was the chief guest.

Munda tehsil chairman Haji Inayatullah, assistant director local government Ibrarullah, and leaders and workers of Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf were also in attendance.

Sanitation workers were provided 45 new loader rickshaws along with shovels, pickaxes, handcarts, boots, caps, gloves and other necessary equipment to improve cleanliness in PK-17 constituency.

Speaking on the occasion, Mr Rehman and other speakers said under the ‘Clean and Transparent Khyber Pakhtunkhwa’ initiative, sanitation workers had been recruited for each village council, which had also been provided with a loader rickshaw and other tools. They expressed the hope that the project would bring visible improvement in the waste disposal system across the constituency.

Published in Dawn, October 5th, 2025