ISLAMABAD — A prominent Pakistani lawyer was shot and killed by a colleague in the Peshawar High Court on Monday.

Abdul Latif Afridi, a former president of Pakistan's lawyers union and a human rights activist, was shot multiple times and pronounced dead at a nearby hospital, according to police.

"The killer, a junior lawyer who was wearing his gown, opened fire at close range and then handed himself over to the police," said Ijaz Khan, a senior police official.

A legal assistant, Muhammad Rizwan, who witnessed the shooting, said the attacker told police: "don't shoot, I had a feud with him and I have taken my revenge," before being arrested.

The attacker had reportedly previously accused Afridi of orchestrating the killing of his father.

Pakistan Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif condemned the killing. In a statement he described Afridi, who also served in the national assembly in 1990, as "a seasoned jurist and a brave politician who was known for his righteousness."

Sharif also expressed concern over the deteriorating security situation in northwestern Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province, where Peshawar is the capital. — Agencies