TOBA TEK SINGH: In a shocking development, two men were killed and six were injured in eight separate encounters with Faisalabad police within 24 hours. All the ‘encounters’ follow the same template that police have been using for quite some time to allegedly kill people or inflict fatal bullet injuries on them instead of focusing on prosecution and pursuing the law and judicial system as a responsible law-enforcement institution.

In the first alleged encounter, a man suspected of murdering his brother and sister-in-law over a property dispute was killed in an ‘encounter’ with Thikriwala police of Faisalabad.

According to a story told by the police spokesperson who followed the old template of all ‘encounter stories,’ a team, led by investigating officer Qaim Din, was taking the suspect, Abid Yousaf Jat, to recover gun used in the crime on his indication from his house at Chak 272/JB. When the police van reached near M-4 bridge of Chak 71/JB Sirli, his six accomplices on three motorcycles attacked a van and opened indiscriminate fire. They freed Abid from custody. More police force was called from Thikriwala and Painsara. Another exchange of fire took place between the attackers and policemen. When firing stopped, police found Abid in an injured condition while his six accomplices managed to flee. Police claimed that he was injured by the firing of his ‘accomplices’.

Abid was shifted to Allied Hospital where the doctors declared him dead.

Eight ‘encounters’ reported in Faisalabad in a day

It is to be mentioned that accused Abid had shot dead his brother and brother’s wife over a property feud and had informed police that due to dispute between the deceased couple, his brother had killed his wife and then committed suicide. However, during the interrogation, Abid confessed that he had murdered the couple to grab their share in the inherited property.

In the second incident, a murder suspect was arrested in an injured condition by Nishatabad police of Faisalabad after an alleged encounter.

This story also follows another common template told by police in encounter stories. Police claimed that three suspects on a motorcycle were stopped by a police team on a picket on the Sargodha Road but they opened fire on the policemen which was retaliated in self-defense.

When the firing ended, police found one of the suspects injured by the ‘firing of his fleeing accomplices’. He was shifted to Allied Hospital and was identified as Muhammad Umair Umairi of Chak 8/JB who was wanted in a murder case.

In a third ‘encounter’ in the Dijkot police area of district Faisalabad, an alleged robber was arrested in an injured condition. Police claimed that four suspects were fleeing after robbing citizens and police chased them. There was an exchange of fire between police and outlaws. When the firing stopped, police saw one of them injured by the firing of his three unidentified accomplices who escaped. He was identified as Liaqat Ali Bakhtu and shifted to Allied Hospital.

In the fourth encounter, a robbery suspect was killed during an alleged police encounter in the area of ​​Batala Colony Police Station of Faisalabad.

According to a police report, SHO Batala Colony Zaheer Ahmed Gill, along with other policemen, raided Siddiquia Graveyard to arrest suspected drug traffickers. Police alleged that the suspects opened indiscriminate fire on them and after an exchange of fire, they arrested one suspect in an injured condition while his other ‘accomplices’ escaped from the scene.

The injured suspect was identified as Azeem, a resident of Chamanzar Colony. He was shifted to the hospital but he could not survive. Police claimed that he was involved in 36 cases of robbery. Police allegation looks strange as he, according to the police’s own story, was supposed to be a drug trafficker. Police claimed to have recovered 800 grams of ice from his possession.

In the fifth encounter with People’s Colony police, an alleged robber was arrested in an injured condition. Police said SHO Mian Wajid Hussain was leading a picket near Rafhan Corn Mills where police signalled two motorcyclists to stop but they opened fire on policemen who also retaliated.

After a shoot-out, police found one of the suspects injured by the firing of his ‘accomplice’ who fled the scene. The injured suspect was arrested and shifted to Allied Hospital. He was identified as Sajid of Chak 112/GB wanted in two dozen robberies.

The sixth encounter took place in the Chak Jhumra police area where SHO Rizwan Shaukat Bhatti was leading a police party at a picket when three motorcyclists were confronted by the police. Seeing the police, they opened fire and policemen also returned fire in self-defense.

After the guns went silent, police saw one of the suspects injured with multiple bullet wounds, allegedly fired by his two ‘accomplices’ who had escaped. The injured suspect, identified as Hasnain Karamat, was shifted to the Chak Jhumra THQ Hospital. Police alleged that he was involved in several robberies and drug smuggling cases.

The seventh encounter occurred near Razaabad Graveyard with Razaabad police of Faisalabad when a suspect involved in drug trafficking was identified as Tanweer Hussain by the firing of his ‘accomplices’ who managed to run away. He was involved in a dozen drug cases, according to the police story.

In the eighth encounter involving Roshanwala police, a suspect was arrested in an injured condition after he received bullets fired by his mysterious ‘accomplices’ who reportedly fled the scene after the encounter.

Police said police chased two suspected robbers after they robbed the citizens. An exchange of firing took place between police and suspects. After the alleged ‘encounter’, the suspect, Mehran Amjad, was arrested in an injured condition and was shifted to Allied Hospital. Police claimed the suspect was wanted by police in several robbery incidents. A snatched motorcycle was recovered from his possession.

Human rights bodies have consistently raised a voice against extrajudicial killings of people by police and Crime Control Department (CCD) in Punjab.

In its fact-finding report released in February this year, the Human Rights Commission of Pakistan (HRCP) quoted at least 670 CCD-led encounters that were carried out across Punjab over eight months in 2025, resulting in the deaths of 924 suspects, while only two police officials were killed during the same timeframe.

The commission had called for high-level judicial inquiry into deaths, resulting from operations conducted by police and CCD, alleging that the latter had adopted a “deliberate policy of staged police encounters leading to extrajudicial killings”.

Published in Dawn, June 1st, 2026