THE menace of extrajudicial killings of suspects by law enforcers is an age-old problem in Pakistan. But as rights monitors have highlighted, the creation of a specialised unit in Punjab earlier this year has led to a surge in so-called encounters. As per the HRCP, there have been over 500 alleged encounters in Punjab since the start of the year, resulting in over 670 fatalities. These high numbers coincide with the formation of the Crime Control Department of Punjab Police, a unit that was set up to crack down on violent crime in the province. But while such killings have been occurring for decades, the HRCP says there is a “growing normalisation” of such incidents. In essence, the Punjab administration seems to believe that encounters are a legitimate method of crime control, indirectly admitting that the criminal justice system has failed. A CCD spokesman has denied that the unit flouts the law, observing that they have “zero tolerance [for] extrajudicial acts”. But encounters are not limited to Punjab; the HRCP has noted that nearly 5,000 “staged police encounters” were reported in both Sindh and Punjab in 2024.

The most powerful argument against these dubious methods is the fact that innocent people are often killed in staged encounters. The cases of Naqeebullah Mehsud and Shahnawaz Kambhar spring to mind, but many other innocent lives have similarly been lost in phoney encounters. No one can be denied due process as per the Constitution. Encounters are, in fact, a ‘quick fix’ that officials assume will bring down crime, bypassing byzantine legal processes and atrophied investigation procedures. But the truth is that along with being patently illegal, staged killings do not bring down crime figures. It is also highly problematic that in the prevailing police culture, officers that are considered ‘encounter specialists’ are lionised, and treated as heroes for their ‘kills’. What is required is accountability of the police, and a modern, scientific investigation system. Any time there are complaints of staged killings, these must be investigated by independent bodies consisting of members of the judiciary, lawmakers, prominent citizens, etc. Furthermore, an overhaul of the criminal justice system is long overdue. As we rely on colonial methods of investigation, our conviction rates are abysmally low, which leads to reliance on illegal actions such as encounters.

Published in Dawn, October 16th, 2025