Latif Afridi, a senior lawyer and former supreme court bar association president was shot dead during firing inside the Peshawar High Court (PHC) bar room earlier today, according to official reports.

Afridi was sitting with other lawyers in the PHC bar room when a gunman directly opened fire at him, Kashif Abbassi, Senior Superintendent of the police said.

After the incident, he was quickly moved to a nearby hospital for emergency treatment where he died soon afterward.

The police arrested the perpetrator and identified him as Adnan Afridi. The attacker was related to the Afridi tribe, and the incident happened due to personal enmity, according to the findings of the police.

The Peshawar high court bar association described the terror incident as security laps and criticized how a gunman managed to reach the bar room, and shoot Afridi.

Following the incident, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and many high-ranking Pakistani politicians and public figures condemned the brutal attack on the senior lawyer and expressed their deep condolences to the family and relatives of the victim.

PM Shehbaz Sharif called on the provincial government of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa to take immediate action in this regard and punish the perpetrators so that justice is achieved.

The target killing comes as the country is already gripped by growing terrorism and militancy. Terror incidents have unprecedentedly increased in Pakistan in the recent past, resulting in the death of security personnel, ISI officials, police officers, human rights activists, and innocent civilians.

The outlawed TTP, Balochistan Liberation Army and other terror groups pose threats to the security of Pakistan. Since the Afghan Taliban's return to power in August 2021, the TTP has gained extra momentum and accelerated its brutal attacks across Pakistan.

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