ATC judge along with family gunned down in Swabi interchange | The Express Tribune

An anti-terrorism court (ATC) judge and his family were gunned down by unknown assailants near Swabi interchange in Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa (K-P) on Sunday, police officials said.

District Police Officer (DPO) Swabi Mohammad Shoaib said that ATC judge Aftab Afridi, along with his family, was travelling on the Peshawar Motorway from Swat to Islamabad and was targeted near the Indus River crossing.

He said that Afridi, two women, his two-year-old son, died on the spot while the driver and a gunman sustained injuries during the tragic incident.

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According to Rescue 1122, the two women are Afridi’s wife and daughter.

The bodies and injured have been shifted to the Bacha Khan Hospital in Swabi.

DPO Shoaib also said that the incident appears to be a result of personal enmity, adding that the first information report (FIR) of the brutal attack is being registered on request of the slain judge’s son.

He said that further investigation is underway.

K-P IGP Dr Sanaullah Abbasi also visited the crime site.

Strongly condemning the murder, Prime Minister Imran Khan said that the “perpetrators of this gruesome act will be apprehended and dealt with full severity of the law”.

Chief Minister Mahmood Khan, while condemning the incident, directed the police official to apprehend the elements involved as soon as possible.

He said that those behind the heinous act will be taken to task. “Targeting women and children is a cruel act,” he added.

Sharing the grief of the family, the chief minister said that they will be provided full justice.

Governor Shah Farman also condemned and expressed his grief over the incident.