Lahore High Court Petition Challenges Punjab Police Encounters

A petition filed in the Lahore High Court challenges alleged fake police encounters in Punjab and seeks enforcement of the Custodial Death Act 2022. Filed by prominent lawyers, it accuses the Crime Control Department of creating fear and urges the court to enforce investigation into all custodial deaths by the FIA.

In a landmark legal move, a joint public interest petition has been lodged in the Lahore High Court, raising serious concerns about alleged fake police encounters in Punjab. The petition, reported by Dawn, advocates for the enforcement of the Custodial Death (Prevention and Punishment) Act 2022.

Prominent legal figures, including Mian Dawood, Pervaiz Elahi, Rai Imran Khan, and Nadeem Abbas Dogar, spearheaded the petition. It accuses the Crime Control Department (CCD), established in January 2025, of propagating a climate of fear by enabling officers to target individuals labeled as criminals based on past FIRs, leading to 1,100 recorded deaths in such encounters.

The petition highlights the unconstitutional nature of these encounters, citing the death of young lawyer Zeeshan Dhaddi as a stark example. Despite existing legal frameworks empowering the FIA to investigate these deaths, petitioners assert that directives have gone unheeded. The petition compels the court to order immediate cessation of encounters and investigate past incidents.

(With inputs from agencies.)