An anti-terrorism court judge, along with his wife and two children, has been shot dead by unknown gunmen in the western province of Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa in Pakistan, reported the Express Tribune. 

The incident happened on Sunday evening when the judge was on his way to Islamabad. The car they were traveling in came under heavy fire, killing the judge and his family members, and seriously wounding his driver and guard. 

“The incident is tragic. The investigation is underway. The accused will be arrested soon,” Sanaullah Abbasi, the Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa Inspector General of Police, was quoted as saying by the Express Tribune.

Taking to Twitter, Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan wrote, “Strongly condemn the murder of ATC judge Aftab Afridi, his wife & 2 children at Anbar Interchange, Swabi. The perpetrators of this gruesome act will be apprehended & dealt with the full severity of the law.”

The tribal areas of Pakistan are seeing an uptick in violence, mainly due to the resurgence of the Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan ( commonly known as the Pakistan Taliban). Earlier on 25 March, Maulana Abdul Salam Haqqani, a senior leader of the JUI-F, was gunned down by militants. 

Following the incident, Mahmood Khan, the chief minister of the province, directed senior officials of police to step up security and vigilance in the province.