EXTRAJUDICIAL killings are a scourge that sees policemen literally get away with murder. Four lawyers have filed a joint public interest petition in the Lahore High Court against the alleged fake encounters by Punjab’s Crime Control Department and for the enforcement of the Custodial Death (Prevention and Punishment) Act, 2022. The Punjab government, Punjab Police, CCD, FIA, and the federal government have been made parties in it. The department in question has been hailed by the Punjab government as an effective deterrent. However, as per media reports, 1,100 lives have been lost in police ‘encounters’. Rights defenders have warned that incidents of supposed encounters have escalated in the province. The HRCP states 500 ‘encounters’ took place since early this year, with over 670 deaths. Unfortunately, the administration views these murders as a legalised approach to crime control.

Police encounters are an admission of the criminal justice system’s failure. The normalisation of staged killings brutalises society. For decades, this notorious phenomenon has taken innocent lives: Naqeebullah Mehsud and Shahnawaz Kambhar are etched in public memory. The HRCP says approximately 5,000 encounters were reported in Sindh and Punjab in 2024. Every citizen, irrespective of their crime record, has a right to due process as mentioned in the Constitution. Colonial methods that bypass legal procedures and investigations cannot be glorified or permitted in a civilised society. The hard truth is that blatantly illegal means never lower crime rates. In an already problematic police system and a callous, corrupt police culture, so-called encounter specialists — Chaudhary Aslam, Rao Anwar, Abid Boxer — have been lionised for their ‘score’. There are no shortcuts to criminal justice system reforms. Their delay has resulted in pathetically low conviction rates, and a growing dependence on illegal methods. Unfortunately, citizens have little hope for safety and justice.

Published in Dawn, December 12th, 2025