Punjab's 'fake' police encounters taken to Lahore High Court

LAHORE (Dunya News) – A group of lawyers, including Mian Dawood, has filed a constitutional petition at the Lahore High Court challenging ongoing fake police encounters in Punjab.

The petition has named the Punjab government, Punjab Police, Capital City Police, FIA, and the federal government as respondents.

According to the petition, since January 2025, numerous citizens have been killed in alleged fake police encounters across the province. Lawyers submitting the petition claimed that citizens are being accused in fabricated and unspecified cases, their records manipulated, and subsequently killed. Media reports indicate that nearly 1,100 individuals have reportedly lost their lives in these encounters so far.

The petition notes that the higher judiciary has repeatedly declared fake police encounters unconstitutional and illegal. Despite this, such encounters continue to be used as an alternative to the formal criminal justice system.

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Citing the killing of Zeeshan Shabbir advocate in Vehari as a particularly shameful example, the petition stresses that the Anti-Custodial Death Act 2022 was enacted to prevent such incidents. Under the law, the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) is required to conduct an inquiry within 30 days of any custodial death.

However, the petition argues, despite directives from the Lahore High Court, citizens in Punjab continue to be labelled as criminals and killed in these encounters. It also highlights that the FIA has yet to conduct a single inquiry into these deaths since the law was enacted.

The petition requests the Lahore High Court to immediately order a halt to all police encounters in Punjab and to direct the FIA to investigate all such incidents from January 2025 to date. Lawyers are urging the court to ensure strict implementation of the Anti-Custodial Death Act 2022 to prevent further loss of life.