Judge, relative killed in Nowshera

NOWSHERA: A senior civil judge and his brother-in-law, a lawyer by profession, were shot dead by unidentified assailants near Rashakai on the motorway in Nowshera district on Monday.

The attackers managed to flee the scene after the deadly ambush.

According to police, the deceased were identified as Senior Civil Judge (Admin) Mardan, Hayatullah, son of Pir Gul, a resident of Kalam, Swat, and his brother-in-law, Advocate Khalid Khan, a resident of Rustam, Mardan. The two were travelling from Mardan to Peshawar in a car bearing registration number 1840 Mardan when they came under heavy gunfire near Rashakai.

Both men died on the spot due to multiple bullet wounds.

District Police Officer (DPO), Nowshera, Abdul Rasheed Khan and SHO Risalpur Gul Malik reached the crime scene after receiving information about the incident, accompanied by a police contingent.

The area was cordoned off, and a search operation was launched to trace the suspects.

The bodies were taken to the Qazi Hussain Ahmad Medical Complex for autopsy.

According to the DPO, initial investigations suggested that the motive behind the attack may be linked to a longstanding land dispute involving the victims. “We have collected evidence from the scene, and a thorough investigation is underway,” he said.

The motorway section where the shooting occurred was sealed off to conduct a search.

The Khyber Pakhtunkhwa police chief Zulfiqar Hameed took notice of the incident and sought a report from the regional police officers of Mardan.