AJK chief justice shot and wounded

AJK chief justice shot and wounded
* Justice Ghulam Mustafa Mughal attacked while
taking an evening walk
* Receives one bullet in his abdomen g President
Zardari condemns attack

MUZAFFARABAD/ISLAMABAD: Azad Jammu and
Kashmir (AJK) High Court Chief Justice (CJ) Ghulam Mustafa Mughal was seriously
injured in an attack here on Tuesday, police said.
Deputy Superintendent
Police (DSP) City Yaseen Baig told APP that the CJ was strolling at AJK
University’s recreation ground near his residence when an unidentified person
fired at him and managed to escape.
“He was on his evening walk at the
university campus. Someone hiding in the bushes opened fire on him. He received
one bullet in his abdomen,” police official Riaz Abbasi told AFP by
telephone.
“He was immediately shifted to the Combined Military Hospital
where he underwent an operation and his condition is stated to be stable,” Baig
added.
Baig said the CJ was walking without security guards when he was
attacked.
He said police had cordoned off the area to trace the
culprit.
Police said motive for the attack was unclear.
“At the moment, we
cannot say whether it’s terrorism or some type of enmity. We have cordoned off
the area and launched a search operation,” said Abbasi.
“The CJ’s family has
not received any threat from anybody nor they have enmity with anyone,” he
added.
Senior minister Chaudhry Yasin told a private news channel that the
shooting was under investigation.
Police said Mughal left his driver and
guard outside the recreation ground where he began his evening walk.
Chief
Justice of Supreme Court of Azad Jammu and Kashmir (AJK) Justice Muhammad Azam
Khan on Tuesday ordered the inspector general of police to arrest the accused
involved in assault on the AJK High Court Chief Justice, Justice Ghulam Mustafa
Mughal within 24 hours.
Talking to APP, Muhammad Azam Khan said that a
high-level inquiry would be conducted to find those behind the gruesome
incident.
He strongly condemned the attack on the chief justice.
He said
it was the first incident of attack on judiciary in AJK’s history. “It is a
severe incident and an attempt to destabilise the judiciary in AJK,” he
added.
Meanwhile, President Asif Ali Zardari has strongly condemned the
attack on Mughal in Muzaffarabad.
The president has directed the concerned
authorities to submit a report about the incident.
He also prayed for the
early recovery of Mughal, who was immediately shifted to a hospital in
Muzaffarabad after the attack.