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Leading Pakistan lawyer shot dead by colleague at high court

Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif described the slain attorney in a statement as 'a seasoned jurist and a brave politician who was known for his righteousness'

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A top lawyer was murdered at a Pakistan high court on Monday by a colleague who shot him six times while dressed in full judicial robes, police and a witness said.

Abdul Latif Afridi -- former president of Pakistan's Supreme Court Bar Association -- was lounging with coworkers in a break room at Peshawar High Court when he was slain in an apparent grudge attack.

"The killer, a junior lawyer who was wearing his gown, opened fire at close range and then handed himself over to the police," Ijaz Khan, a senior police official in Peshawar, told AFP.

The gunman fired six shots at 79-year-old Afridi's chest from less than a foot (30 centimetres) away, eyewitness and legal assistant Muhammad Rizwan told AFP.

According to Rizwan, as the gunman surrendered to police, he said: "Don't shoot, I had a feud with him and I have taken my revenge."

Afridi -- who also served in the national assembly in the 1990s -- was pronounced dead at a nearby hospital, according to police.

Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif described Afridi in a statement as "a seasoned jurist and a brave politician who was known for his righteousness".

Peshawar is the capital of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, a rugged northwestern province bordering Afghanistan and populated by tribal groups often feuding over land and honour.

Police said there was a case pending against the slain lawyer alleging his involvement in the murder of the father of the man arrested for gunning him down on Monday afternoon.

Adnan Khan Afridi, the man in police custody, is distantly related to the slain veteran lawyer.

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