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Lateef Afridi

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Abdul Latif Afridi
عبدالطیف افریدی
Born(1943-11-14)14 November 1943
Khyber, North-West Frontier Province, British India (in present-day Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Pakistan)[1]
Died16 January 2023(2023-01-16) (aged 79)
Peshawar, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Pakistan
NationalityPakistani
Occupations
OfficePresident of the Supreme Court Bar Association of Pakistan (2020–2021)[2]
President of the Peshawar High Court Bar Association
Vice-Chairman of the Pakistan Bar Council (2011)
Member of the National Assembly of Pakistan (1997–1999)
Political partyNational Democratic Movement
MovementPashtun Tahafuz Movement

Abdul Latif Afridi (Pashto/Urdu: عبدالطیف افریدی; 14 November 1943 – 16 January 2023), also known as Latif Lala (لطیف لالا), was a Pakistani lawyer and Pashtun nationalist politician who served as president of the Supreme Court Bar Association of Pakistan. He was a senior leader of the National Democratic Movement (NDM).[3] He was a member of the National Assembly between 1997 and 1999, the first provincial president of the Awami National Party (ANP) between 1986 and 1989, and general secretary of ANP between 2005 and 2007.[4] He had also served as president of the Peshawar High Court Bar Association and vice-chairman of the Pakistan Bar Council. He was a supporter of the Pashtun Tahafuz Movement (PTM).[5]

On 16 January 2023, Afridi was murdered by a gunman dressed in judicial robes, who fired six shots at Afridi's chest from less than a foot away at Peshawar high court. The attacker, Adnan Khan, who was arrested at the scene, reportedly accused Afridi of orchestrating the killing of his father.[6][7]

Early life

Abdul Latif Afridi was born in 1943 in Tirah, Khyber Agency. He obtained a master's degree from Peshawar University in 1966. Two years later, he received a law degree from the same institution. He was expelled from the university for supporting Fatima Jinnah in the 1964 presidential election. In 1979, he joined the Ghaus Bux Bizenjo-led Pakistan National Party (PNP) and became its Khyber Pakhtunkhwa provincial president. In 1986, when the PNP was merged into the Awami National Party (ANP), Latif Afridi became its first provincial president. In 1997, he was elected as a member of national assembly from NA-46.[8] Latif Afridi was elected Supreme Court Bar Association of Pakistan SCBA president on 30 October 2020 after receiving 1,236 votes while his rival candidate Sattar Khan secured 968 votes.[9]

Political career

As former provincial president (1986–1989) and general secretary (2005–2007) of the Awami National Party (ANP) and its short-lived breakaway faction, the National Awami Party of Pakistan (NAPP), he achieved fame as a supporter of the Lawyers' Movement in 2007–2009.[10]

On 2 September 2019, Afridi's membership was terminated from ANP by the party's young provincial president, Aimal Wali Khan.[11][12]

On 1 September 2021, Afridi became a founding member of the National Democratic Movement (NDM).[13]

Lawyers' movement

Further information: Lawyers' Movement

Latif Afridi was a former president of the Peshawar High Court Bar Association (PHCBA) and ANP Lawyers' Wing, as well as vice president of the party's Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa chapter. Elected as president of the PHCBA five times, he was at the forefront of the lawyers' movement that culminated in the restoration of Chief Justice Iftikhar Mohammad Chaudhry.

Death

On 16 January 2023, Afridi was lounging with other lawyers in the bar room at the Peshawar High Court when a gunman dressed in full judicial robes opened fire at him. Afridi was taken to the nearby Lady Reading Hospital but was pronounced dead on arrival. He was 79. According to the hospital administration, six bullets were fired at Afridi's chest.[1][14]

Reactions

The Prime Minister of Pakistan, Shehbaz Sharif, expressed sorrow and grief over the murder, calling for immediate measures to be taken to address the law and order situation in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. Former President Asif Ali Zardari also expressed condemnation for the death, stating that Afridi was a strong supporter of democracy and a staunch opponent of extremism. Interior Minister Rana Sanaullah, Foreign Minister Bilawal Bhutto Zardari, Information Minister Marriyum Aurangzeb, Law Minister Azam Nazeer Tarar, National Assembly Speaker Raja Pervaiz Ashraf, and Deputy Speaker Zahid Akram Durrani also condemned the murder, worrying that the law and order situation in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa was alarming.[15][1]

The Supreme Court Bar Association and the Pakistan Bar Council announced that lawyers across Pakistan would go on strike and not appear in court on 17 January. According to PBC's press release, members of the council expressed "serious concerns upon the failure of the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa government, the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa police and law enforcement agencies regarding the provision of security to courts and lawyers." The Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Bar Council, the Peshawar Bar Association, the Sindh Bar Council, the Lahore Bar Association, and the Lahore High Court Bar Association also expressed condemnation and announced strikes in protest.[16][17][15]

See also

References

  1. ^ a b c "Former SCBA president Latif Afridi gunned down in PHC bar room". Geo News. 16 January 2023. Retrieved 16 January 2023.
  2. ^ Presidents. Supreme Court Bar Association of Pakistan.
  3. ^ Krishnankutty, Pia (2 September 2021). "Pashtun leaders launch National Democratic Movement, party to counter Pakistan 'militarisation'". ThePrint.
  4. ^ Babak congratulates Abdul Latif Afridi on re-election of PHCBA President Archived 12 February 2012 at the Wayback Machine Associated Press of Pakistan. retrieved 10-01-08
  5. ^ "ANP terminates membership of founding member". The Friday Times. 13 September 2019. Retrieved 30 October 2020.
  6. ^ "Top lawyer shot dead by colleague at Pakistan high court, say police". The Guardian. 16 January 2023. Retrieved 16 January 2023.
  7. ^ "Pakistan: Top lawyer shot dead by colleague at high court". DW. 16 January 2023. Retrieved 16 January 2023.
  8. ^ A dream come true by Tahir Ali. THE NEWS on Sunday. 4 April 2009.
  9. ^ Veteran lawyer Latif Afridi elected SCBA president. GEO News. 30 October 2020.
  10. ^ NAPP leaders rejoin ANP,Asfandyar welcomes old colleagues 22 May 2005. Retrieved 08-10-08
  11. ^ "ANP terminates basic membership of senior leader Latif Afridi". The News International. 3 September 2019.
  12. ^ "Latif Afridi's expulsion from ANP won't end journey of his long political struggle". 12 September 2019.
  13. ^ "Waziristan MNA, nationalists form political party". Dawn. 2 September 2021.
  14. ^ "Senior lawyer Latif Afridi killed in Peshawar High Court bar room firing". 16 January 2023.
  15. ^ a b "Senior lawyer Latif Afridi shot dead at Peshawar High Court". The Express Tribune. 16 January 2023. Retrieved 16 January 2023.
  16. ^ "Senior lawyer Latif Afridi killed in Peshawar High Court bar room firing". Dawn. 16 January 2023. Retrieved 16 January 2023.
  17. ^ "Ex-SCBA president Latif Afridi shot dead in Peshawar High Court". The News International. 16 January 2023. Retrieved 16 January 2023.
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