LAHORE: A joint public interest petition by four lawyers has been filed in the Lahore High Court against the alleged fake encounters being conducted by the Crime Control Department (CCD) in Punjab and seeking implementation of the Custodial Death (Prevention and Punishment) Act 2022.

“Since the creation of the Crime Control Department in January 2025, the national media and human rights bodies have been highlighting incidents of extrajudicial killings by Punjab police,” said the petition filed by lawyers – Mian Dawood, Pervaiz Elahi, Rai Imran Khan and Nadeem Abbas Dogar.

The petition argues that the CCD has created a state of fear and panic in society with the impression that the police can, now, kill any person by declaring him a criminal after preparing his past criminal record by implicating him in already lodged FIRs through supplementary statements.

According to media reports, nearly 1,100 citizens have been killed in police encounters so far, it adds.

The petition argues that the superior judiciary, in multiple judgments, has already declared fake police encounters unconstitutional and illegal.

“Fake encounters are being used as an alternative to the criminal justice system,” it alleges.

The petition states that recent killing of a young lawyer, Zeeshan Dhaddi, at his residence by the police in Vehari is a shameful example of fake encounters.

It submits that the Custodial Death (Prevention and Punishment) Act 2022 was enacted specifically to curb fake encounters, which empowers the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) to conduct an inquiry into every custodial death within 30 days.

The petition contends that the Lahore High Court in several judgments already directed the federal government and the Punjab chief minister to ensure the implementation of the law.

However, the citizens are still being labelled as suspects and killed in Punjab with impunity and the FIA has not conducted an inquiry into any custodial death to date.

The petitioners ask the high court to immediately halt all police encounters in Punjab and direct the FIA to conduct inquiries into police encounters conducted since the creation of the CCD.

The Punjab government, Punjab police, CCD, FIA, and the federal government have been made parties in the petition.

Published in Dawn, December 7th, 2025