Pakistan has a fake police encounter problem? Court says getting 50 petitions daily

The Lahore High Court on Wednesday ordered Punjab Inspector General of Police (IGP) Dr Usman Anwar to evaluate the encounters conducted by the newly formed Crime Control Department (CCD).

The police chief previously appeared before LHC Chief Justice Aalia Neelum in accordance with the court’s order regarding a woman’s petition against the killing of her son in an alleged CCD encounter.

According to the IGP’s report, the suspect was being driven away after a recovery when the police vehicle’s tire punctured, and his accomplices attacked. It stated that the suspect was murdered by the gunfire of his own accomplices.

The Chief Justice stated that the IGP was called after the SHO in question failed to convince the court. She deemed the IGP’s report thorough and satisfactory.

However, the chief justice asked, “Whenever there is firing on a police vehicle, how does the bullet directly hit a suspect? Why it never hits a constable or the police vehicle?”

She stated that the LHC received 50 petitions per day regarding fake police encounters. It is necessary to evaluate the current wave of CCD encounters, she noted.

Chief Justice Neelum recommended that the IGP undertake an exhaustive review of the continuing encounters. She directed the police chief to meet with top officers to ensure that similar deceptive encounters were not occur again in the future.

The Chief Justice dismissed Farhat Bibi’s petition.

The petitioner’s attorney alleged that Sharqpur police had arrested his client’s two sons, Ghazanfar Aslam and Ansar Aslam. He claimed that Ghazanfar was killed in a fake encounter on April 22, and that the petitioner’s other son’s life was in grave danger.

He claimed that ever since the CCD formed, all police contacts had followed the same predetermined pattern.