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Sharifs lawyer gunned down

Attempt to hamper trial or act of sabotage ahead of Clinton's visit, fears police chief
KARACHI. Mar 10: Unidentified gunmen shot dead a lawyer defending Pakistan’s ousted prime minister Nawaz Sharif against a possible death sentence in a daylight attack on his city centre offices today, reports Reuters.
Police and witnesses said Iqbal Radh, a leading member of Sharifs defence team, died from a volley of bullets to his chest. An office assistant and the visiting son of a High Court Judge who were in the premises were also killed.
Pakistani military ruler General Pervez Musharraf called the killing "a dastardly act of terrorism.
A spokesman for Sharifs Pakistan Muslim League (PML). which was ousted In a bloodless October 12 coup by Musharraf.
said Radh had received a number of threats but declined to elaborate.
"For the past some days he was complaining that he was receiving threats." Raja Zafarul Haq told Reuters in Islamabad. He declined to comment on the motive for the slaying, but said it would hamper Sharifs defence. which resumes on Mon-
^Clad in a lawyer's black coat, Radii's body lay in a pool of blood. Some bullets had broken windows in his office, which is close to the courts and government offices.
A government statement quoted Musharraf as saying the killing of an eminent lawyer by terrorists is the most heinous crime which could serve the purpose of vested interests."
"He directed the security agencies to trace the culprits and bring them to Justice without loss of any time." it said.
Radh in his early fifties, was also the legal adviser to the PML and a key defence lawyers In Sharifs trial on charges of attempted murder and hijacking, which carries a death sen-
WAITING CAR
Police said the assassins fled with one of their accomplices who was waiting tn a car parked outside the building.
"This could be an act of sabotage to damage the smooth trial proceedings ... It could be personal enmity, we are not sure right now,” said Akhtar Gor-chaui, the district chief of
police . "It could be an act of terrorism before President Clinton's visit since so far the law and order situation was fine." he said.
The trial proceedings are expected to resume on Monday and it was not clear how the killing would affect the hearing-
Police said no one had claimed responsibility for the attack, adding it was too early to speculate about a motive.
Radh threatened to stop representing Sharif after the Judge in the trial said he would decide If some of Sharifs testimony would not be made public.
He and several other lawyers withdrew the threat alter the court assured them Sharif would be allowed to testify in
open court.
The shooting took place weeks alter the govu iimrnt banned public display of weapons In a bid lo clean up Pakistan's image and chip away al what is called its "Kalashnikov culture."
Sharif's wife Kulsoom Nawaz today strongly condemned the murder of her husband's lawyer in Karachi and blamed military rulers for a security lapse.
"We vehemently condemn the assassination of senior lawyer Iqbal Radh." she said.
"It was a severe security lapse and failure of the military regime that a counsel of a case of International significance was killed in daylight In his office. Kulsoom said in a statement hours after Radii was shot by three.guiunen In Karachi.