Judge, jury and executioner

Such encounters violate Pakistani law, international guidelines, which permissible only when necessary, proportionate

The entire country appears doubtful of the police claims regarding the circumstances under which the suspect in the killing of a teenager in Multan was himself killed. Tauqir Nazir, a contractor, allegedly killed teenager Waseem Abbas over a work dispute earlier this week by running him over in a car. Nazir was arrested, produced before a magistrate and remanded into police custody. Within hours, police claimed Nazir had tried to flee custody and was killed in a shootout near Bahawalpur. Police claim that his accomplices killed him, though supporting evidence is currently limited. Similarly, the alleged fraudster who drove student Laiba Ijaz to suicide was also killed by his accomplices during an escape attempt.

While it is true that both killings could have gone down exactly as described by the police, it would not surprise anyone to learn that certain details were curiously inaccurate. The HRCP has already demanded an independent inquiry, warning that extrajudicial killings violate due process and deprive victims' families of the truth. But while the higher-profile cases always seem to get authorities' attention, rights groups have noticed and are demanding a transparent inquiry. After all, the last nine months of 2025 generated dozens of problematic fights. An HRCP fact-finding report documented at least 670 CCD-led encounters in Punjab between April and December 2025, leaving 924 suspects dead. Only two police officers were killed in the same period. That casualty imbalance - more than two fatal encounters a day - cannot be explained by professionalism. It points to an institutionalised practice of staged killings. The Punjab government has rejected allegations of staged encounters, but denial is not evidence.

The official script is also suspiciously uniform: suspects always fire first, police always respond in self-defence, and the dead are always "hardened criminals". Civilian witnesses are absent, magisterial inquiries are skipped, and families are intimidated into silence. Such encounters violate Pakistani law and international guidelines, which is permissible only when necessary and proportionate.