LAHORE – UNS : The Human Rights Commission of Pakistan (HRCP) has raised serious concerns over the reported deaths of 924 people in alleged police encounters involving Punjab’s Crime Control Department (CCD) and Punjab Police during an eight-month period in 2025, calling for scrutiny of whether due legal procedures were followed.
According to the HRCP report, 924 alleged criminals were killed in around 670 police encounters during the period, while two police personnel were also reportedly myrtyred.
The report further noted similarities in the First Information Reports (FIRs) registered following many of the encounters.
Under Section 176 of the CCD Act 2022, an inquiry by the FIA was required, but no such inquiry was conducted. Similarly, a magisterial inquiry into custodial deaths was required, but this was also not carried out. Nor did the FIA investigate the alleged cases of torture and custodial deaths.
According to these accounts, suspects allegedly opened fire on police and were subsequently killed in retaliatory firing.
HRCP also cited accounts from relatives of some of those killed, who alleged that CCD personnel pressured families to bury the deceased immediately and warned them against filing complaints or approaching authorities. Family members reportedly claimed they were threatened with further consequences if they challenged the circumstances surrounding the deaths.
The rights body raised questions over whether mandatory legal procedures governing custodial deaths and alleged extrajudicial killings were followed. It said that required magisterial inquiries were not conducted in relevant cases and also questioned the absence of investigations under laws dealing with torture and custodial deaths.
HRCP said it had written to the Punjab government and Punjab Police, highlighting the unusually high number of deaths and seeking clarification over compliance with legal safeguards and investigative requirements.
According to the commission, neither the Punjab government nor Punjab Police responded to its correspondence.
The allegations raise serious questions about accountability, due process and the right to life. HRCP has stressed that deaths resulting from police action must be subjected to independent and transparent investigation in accordance with the law.
