PM Imran Khan 'strongly' condemns murder of ATC judge in Swabi, vows to arrest suspects

• PM Imran vows to arrest "perpetrators" of "gruesome act.
• ATC judge Aftab Khan Afridi and his family were martyred when unidentified gunmen fired at them on Islamabad-Peshawar Motorway.
• Swat Bar Association condemns attack, announces boycott of courts as protest.

ISLAMABAD: Prime Minister Imran Khan on Sunday "strongly" condemned the murder of an Anti-Terrorism Court judge in Swabi and vowed to arrest the suspects behind the "gruesome act".

"Strongly condemn the murder of ATC judge Aftab Afridi, his wife & 2 children at Anbar Interchange, Swabi," tweeted PM Imran after the news of the murder was reported.

The PM vowed that the perpetrators of the gruesome act will be apprehended and dealt with full severity of the law.

ATC judge and family martyred in Swabi

On Sunday, an ATC judge, his wife, daughter-in-law and his son were martyred when unidentified gunmen fired indiscriminately at them at the Ambar Interchange in Swabi district on the Islamabad-Peshawar Motorway.

Sources said that the judge, Aftab Khan Afridi, was on his way back to Islamabad from Swat, where he was serving for the last two months when the unidentified assailants attacked him.

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When his vehicle reached the Ambar Interchange on the Islamabad-Peshawar Motorway, some unidentified armed men opened indiscriminate fire on the judge and his family in the jurisdiction of the Chota Lahor City Police Station

DIG Police Mardan Yaseen Farooq reached the spot along with District Police Officer (DPO), Swabi, Muhammad Shoaib, soon after the incident.

DPO Mohammad Shoaib confirmed to reporters that the two women and a child shot dead along with the judge were his relatives.

However, another police official said that the slain woman could be his wife and the child was his son.

When reached for his reaction, Chota Lahor City Police Station SHO Altaf Khan said that the slain judge Aftab Afridi was on his way to Islamabad. He said that a car overtook them and its occupants opened indiscriminate fire on the vehicle of the judge.

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Police said that the judge and his family were shot from a close range and the photos of the deceased showed that a volley of bullets was fired at them.

The judge was performing duty in the Anti-Terrorism Court (ATC) in Swat. Judges working in the ATC remain at risk as they hear and decide cases of terrorism suspects.

KP CM orders investigation of attack

Meanwhile, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Chief Minister Mahmood Khan has ordered a probe into the incident.

The CM directed the police to bring the attackers to justice as early as possible.

The Swat Bar Association in a statement condemned the attack and announced that the lawyers in Swat will boycott the courts on Monday as a protest.