PESHWAR: A judge and a lawyer were shot dead in an armed attack on the motorway in Nowshera district on Tuesday, an official said.

Nowshera deputy commissioner Irfanullah Mehsud told Dawn that one of the slain, Mohammad Hayat, was working as civil judge, Mardan, and belonged to the Swat district. `The other person was identified as Khalid Khan, a lawyer, belonging to Rustam area of Mardan, who was accompanying the judge.

Mr Mehsud said that they died on the spot. He said that the bodies were shifted to Qazi Hussain Ahmed Medical Complex.

Regarding the motive, DC Mehsud said that the killing was result of a personal dispute.

A police report regarding the incident stated that the slain were on their way to Peshawar, when they came under attack at a bridge near the Rashakai interchange.

Meanwhile, in a statement issued here, KP Bar Council strongly condemned the brutal murder of Khalid Khan Advocate and senior civil judge Mohammad Hayat, and demanded arrest of the assailants.

The Bar Council announced a strike today (Wednesday) across the Mardan division.

Separately, the Peshawar High Court Bar Association also condemned the killing of the civil judge and lawyer.

In a statement, PHCBA acting general secretary ljaz Ali Shah demanded of the provincial government and police chief to immediately arrest those behind the killings.

The statement also requested the KP Bar Council to announce a province-wide strike against the killings.