PESHAWAR, Jan 19: An additional district and sessions judge, Syed Ahtesham Ali, received injuries when unidentified persons ambushed his vehicle here at Hayatabad Township when he was returning home from Judicial Complex.

Mr Ali, hailing from southern Kohat district, was rushed to Hayatabad Medical Complex from where he was shifted to Lady Reading Hospital. He is stated to be in stable condition.

The injured judge is son of former chief justice of Peshawar High Court Justice (retd) Syed Ibne Ali. Justice Ibne Ali served as chief justice of Peshawar High Court from 1995 to 1997. He also entered politics after retirement and joined Awami National Party a year ago.

Mr Ali was accompanied by his wife, who is also a civil judge. Both of them have presently been serving in Peshawar. Till late night the FIR of the occurrence was not registered and an official at Hayatabad police station told Dawn that it would be registered later on.

An official said that police had recovered 13 bullet-casings of 9 MM pistol from the scene of occurrence. He said that the judge was returning from the Judicial Complex along with his wife and when their vehicle reached Ghani Bagh in Phase-II, Hayatabad three unidentified men on a motorbike sprayed their vehicle with bullets.

The assailants managed to escape after the occurrence. The judge received a single bullet on his left shoulder.

The news of the occurrence spread quickly and the hospital was visited by Peshawar High Court Chief Justice Dost Mohammad Khan, Peshawar District and Sessions Judge Shaibar Khan and judges of the subordinate judiciary in large number. The PHC chief justice remained with Mr Ali and prayed for his early recovery. —Bureau Report