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A joint public interest petition has been filed in the Lahore High Court against alleged fake police encounters in Punjab and for enforcement of the Custodial Death (Prevention and Punishment) Act 2022, Dawn reported.
The petition, submitted by lawyers Mian Dawood, Pervaiz Elahi, Rai Imran Khan and Nadeem Abbas Dogar, claims that since the establishment of the Crime Control Department (CCD) in January 2025, national media and human rights organisations have frequently highlighted incidents of extrajudicial killings by Punjab police. It argues that the CCD has created fear by suggesting officers can kill any person after declaring them a criminal based on past FIRs, reportedly resulting in nearly 1,100 deaths in police encounters so far, Dawn reported. Against this backdrop, the petition states that senior courts have consistently ruled fake encounters unconstitutional and illegal. It alleges such killings are being used as an alternative to the criminal justice system and cites the recent killing of young lawyer Zeeshan Dhaddi at his home in Vehari as a "shameful example" of the practice. The petition further notes that the Custodial Death (Prevention and Punishment) Act 2022 was enacted to curb such incidents, empowering the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) to investigate every custodial death within 30 days. However, the petitioners contend that despite previous directives by the Lahore High Court to the federal government and the Punjab chief minister, the law has not been implemented, and no FIA enquiries have taken place, Dawn reported. In light of these allegations, the petition requests the court to immediately halt all police encounters in Punjab and direct the FIA to investigate every encounter carried out since the CCD was created. The Punjab government, Punjab police, CCD, FIA, and the federal government have been named as respondents in the case. (ANI)
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