LAHORE: A fact-finding report by the Human Rights Commission of Pakistan (HRCP) has called for an urgent high-level judicial inquiry into deaths resulting from operations conducted by Punjab’s Crime Control Department (CCD), alleging that the department has adopted a “deliberate policy of staged police encounters leading to extrajudicial killings”.

Last year, the Punjab government formally approved the establishment of the CCD to curb organised crime and protect life and property in the province. However, human rights advocates and civil society members have been voicing their concerns about the alleged encounters and the number of casualties.

According to the HRCP, based on press accounts, at least 670 CCD-led encounters were carried out across Punjab over eight months in 2025.

These operations reportedly resulted in the deaths of 924 suspects, while only two police officials were killed during the same timeframe, it said.

The HRCP noted that the sharp disparity in casualties — averaging more than two fatal encounters per day — alongside similar operational patterns reported across districts, pointed to what it described as an “institutionalised practice” rather than isolated incidents of misconduct.

The commission’s findings highlighted the “systematic violations” of domestic law and Pakistan’s international human rights obligations.

It stated that the Torture and Custodial Death (Prevention and Punishment) Act 2022 required the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) to investigate every custodial death under the supervision of the National Commission for Human Rights (NCHR).

However, the HRCP said there was no evidence that such mandatory procedures were consistently followed in the cases examined. In one instance, the commission said, a court had to direct the FIA to initiate an investigation.

Additionally, the commission said that magisterial inquiries required under Sections 174–176 of the Code of Criminal Procedure were not conducted in several cases reviewed.

The commission’s findings also expressed concern that neither the Punjab government nor CCD and police officials responded to its request for meetings during the course of the inquiry, describing the lack of engagement as indicative of institutional reluctance to address serious human rights allegations.

It also documented what it described as a “climate of fear among affected families”.

In one case, the commission said, relatives of the suspect alleged they were pressured by police to bury the deceased immediately and warned of further harm if they pursued legal action. The HRCP termed such actions as criminal intimidation and a direct obstruction of justice.

Citing international standards, the commission stated that CCD operations appeared inconsistent with the UN Basic Principles on the Use of Force and Firearms by Law Enforcement Officials, which require that lethal force be used only when necessary and proportionate, and that accountability mechanisms be enforced in cases of misuse.

It observed that CCD press releases and first information reports followed a nearly identical narrative pattern — alleging suspects fired first, police acted in self-defence, and those killed were “hardened criminals” — raising concerns about coordinated messaging rather than independent operational outcomes.

The HRCP emphasised that sustainable public safety cannot be secured through “lethal shortcuts” that bypass investigation, prosecution and judicial oversight.

Among its recommendations, the commission called for an immediate province-wide moratorium on all encounter operations until comprehensive legal safeguards and independent oversight mechanisms are established.

It further urged that all encounter-related deaths be investigated by the FIA under NCHR supervision, the formation of an independent civilian police oversight commission, and mandatory compensation for the families of those killed in such operations.

Last year in October, the HRCP had reported a “sharp and deadly” surge in police encounters across Punjab. It had warned that such practices eroded public trust in legal institutions and set a dangerous precedent for state-sanctioned violence.

However, the Punjab police had filed a report in the Lahore High Court in January, claiming that the establishment of the CCD led to a significant decline in serious crime across the province.

Furthermore, the police had also rebuffed all the claims of fake encounters and extrajudicial killings.