ATC judge killed along with wife, children in Swabi attack

SWABI: An anti-terrorism court (ATC) judge was on Sunday killed along with his wife and children after unidentified men opened fire on his vehicle in Swabi district of the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) province, ARY NEWS reported.

According to police, the vehicle of the ATC judge Aftab Khan Afridi was targeted by unidentified men near Ambar interchange in Swabi, which led to the death of the judge, his wife, and two children.

“Two security guards in the judge’s convoy also sustained wounds in the attack,” they said adding that the judge was travelling from Swat to Islamabad when his vehicle got under attack.

The bodies and the injured were shifted to a nearby hospital for medico-legal formalities and treatment respectively. The security forces and police cordoned off the area and started collecting evidence from the crime scene for forensic analysis.

Aftab Khan Afridi was an ATC judge in Swat and was posted two months back. The Swat Bar Association has announced to protest against the attack on Monday (tomorrow). “No one will appear before the courts tomorrow,” said the president of the Swat Bar Association.

Chief Minister KP Mahmood Khan condemned the attack on the ATC judge and expressed his grief over the loss of human lives in the incident. “Targeting women and children is a coward attempt,” he said adding that those behind the attack would not be spared.

The chief minister directed the police to immediately arrest the culprits behind the attack.