Pakistan’s Human Rights Commission accuses Punjab province’s CCD of fake encounters

The Human Rights Commission of Pakistan (HRCP) has charged Punjab's Crime Control Department (CCD) with institutionalising fabricated police encounters that have reportedly caused hundreds of extrajudicial executions, sparking grave alarms regarding the breakdown of constitutional protections in the region.

Utilising media reports and legal records, the Commission tracked no fewer than 670 CCD-driven encounters between January and August 2025. These missions allegedly resulted in the fatalities of 924 suspects, whereas only two law enforcement officers died during that period.

The remarkable imbalance in deaths, which averages over two lethal encounters per day, coupled with identical tactical descriptions across various districts, suggests what the Commission characterises as a conscious and structured habit rather than sporadic occurrences of malpractice.

The HRCP’s fact-finding inquiry report maintains that these manoeuvres represent systemic breaches of local laws and Pakistan's global human rights obligations. Under the Torture and Custodial Death (Prevention and Punishment) Act 2022, all deaths in custody must undergo investigation by the FIA, overseen by the National Commission for Human Rights.

Nevertheless, the HRCP identified no transparent proof that these compulsory protocols were implemented in the reviewed situations. Judicial inquiries mandated by the Code of Criminal Procedure also seemed to be missing in the majority of cases.

The Commission also expressed frustration with the silence from Punjab officials and CCD leadership in response to invitations to dialogue. The delegation also recorded a pervasive atmosphere of intimidation among the families of the deceased.

In a specific instance, kin claimed they were coerced into performing rapid burials and cautioned of subsequent retaliation if they sought judicial remedies.

According to the HRCP, CCD activities appear to be at odds with the UN Basic Principles on the Use of Force and Firearms, which require necessity, proportionality, and transparency.

It has advocated for an immediate suspension of encounter tactics, autonomous monitoring, mandatory FIA probes under NCHR direction, and financial restitution for the grieving families.

Last month, rights activist and lawyer Imaan Zainab Mazari-Hazir and her husband, Hadi Ali Chattha, were detained in Islamabad while reportedly heading to a court hearing.

Imaan's mother, former federal minister Shireen Mazari, had said in a series of posts on X that police officials intercepted the couple and took them into custody.

They were placed in separate vehicles and moved to undisclosed locations, she added.

The court of Additional District and Sessions Judge Mohammad Afzal Majoka had issued arrest warrants for both on 16 January in a case linked to allegedly controversial tweets.

Following the arrests, human rights organisation Amnesty International had said the arrests marked "the latest escalation in a sustained campaign of judicial harassment and intimidation" by Pakistani authorities.