924 deaths in eight months; seeking a stay of extrajudicial actions and FIA-led investigations
The Human Rights Commission of Pakistan (HRCP) has called for the formation of a high-level judicial commission to investigate deaths resulting from operations carried out by the Punjab Crime Control Department (CCD), alleging a pattern of staged police encounters and extrajudicial killings.
In a fact-finding report issued from Lahore, the HRCP alleged that the CCD had adopted encounter killings “as a matter of policy”, undermining the rule of law and constitutional safeguards in the province.
Citing press reports, the commission said at least 670 CCD encounters were recorded during the first eight months of 2025, during which 924 suspects were killed. In contrast, only two policemen lost their lives in the same period. The “strong difference”, combined with an average of more than two fatal encounters per day, indicated a systematic pattern rather than isolated incidents, the report added.
Read: 405 honor killings recorded across Pakistan in 2024: HRCP
The HRCP maintained that its mission found violations of national law as well as Pakistan’s international human rights obligations. Referring to the Torture and Detention (Prevention and Punishment) Act 2022, it noted that every custodial death must be investigated by the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) under the supervision of the National Commission for Human Rights (NCHR), but said it found no clear evidence of compliance in the cases reviewed. In one case, a court ordered the FIA to conduct an investigation.
The report added that mandatory trials under sections 174 to 176 of the Criminal Procedure Act also did not appear to have been carried out. It further said the Punjab government, CCD and police authorities did not respond to requests for meetings, reflecting what it described as a lack of transparency.
The fact-finding team highlighted an “atmosphere of fear” among affected families. One family alleged that the police pressured them to carry out an immediate burial and warned of consequences if the case was pursued. Such threats, the report said, would constitute a criminal act and obstruction of justice.
Read more: HRCP report indicates increase in homicides this year
HRCP Chairman Asad Iqbal Butt said the CCD’s actions violated the UN’s Basic Principles on the Use of Force and Firearms by Law Enforcement Officials, which stipulate that lethal force may only be used when strictly unavoidable and proportionate, and that accountability must be ensured for violations.
He stressed the need for immediate and transparent judicial investigations to uphold the rule of law.
The report warned that sustainable law and order could not be achieved through extrajudicial measures. It recommended an immediate halt to encounter-based operations, mandatory FIA investigations under NCHR supervision, establishment of an independent civilian police oversight commission and compensation to the families of those killed.
