Human rights organizations are raising alarm over 924 alleged extrajudicial killings attributed to Punjab province's Counter Crime Department (CCD) over an eight-month period, pointing to what they describe as a systematic pattern of police violence and a deepening accountability crisis in Pakistan's justice system.
Investigators examining police First Information Reports (FIRs) across multiple districts discovered nearly identical language repeated in cases spanning Lahore, Faisalabad, Sialkot, and Multan. The reports frequently employ standardized phrases such as "the accused opened fire on the police party" and "accomplices escaped in the dark," suggesting possible fabrication of circumstances surrounding the deaths.
The alleged killings occurred during what authorities describe as operations targeting "hardened criminals." However, the pattern of identical police narratives across different districts and circumstances has prompted human rights monitors to question the legitimacy of these so-called "encounters."
Punjab government officials and CCD leadership have dismissed the findings, maintaining that operations target dangerous criminals and refusing to conduct independent inquiries or investigations to verify the circumstances of the deaths. This lack of official accountability has intensified concerns among legal advocates and civil society organizations.
Families of the deceased have reported facing severe intimidation in their attempts to seek justice. According to testimonies collected by rights groups, relatives were pressured to bury the deceased immediately without independent autopsies and received threats of lethal consequences if they pursued legal action against police officers.
"The systematic nature of these alleged killings, combined with the identical language in police reports and the intimidation of families, points to an institutional problem rather than isolated incidents," said one human rights investigator familiar with the documentation, speaking on condition of anonymity due to security concerns.
The CCD operates specifically in Punjab's major cities, representing just one unit within Pakistan's complex law enforcement architecture. The allegations do not account for similar operations in Sindh, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Balochistan, or Islamabad, suggesting the scope of alleged extrajudicial killings may extend beyond the documented cases.
Pakistan's criminal justice system has long struggled with issues of police impunity, with investigations into police misconduct typically conducted by the force itself. International human rights organizations have repeatedly called for independent oversight mechanisms and civilian review boards, reforms that successive governments have failed to implement.
In Afghanistan, as across conflict zones, the story is ultimately about ordinary people navigating extraordinary circumstances. The families affected by these alleged killings face impossible choices: pursuing justice while risking their own safety, or remaining silent while losing access to any form of accountability or closure.
Legal experts note that Pakistan is a signatory to international human rights conventions prohibiting extrajudicial executions, yet domestic enforcement mechanisms remain weak. Without independent investigation capacity and protection for families seeking justice, the pattern documented by rights groups appears likely to continue unchecked.
