Call for judicial inquiry into 'CCD encounters'

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LAHORE:

The Human Rights Commission of Pakistan (HRCP) has called for the formation of a judicial commission to investigate deaths resulting from operations conducted by the Crime Control Department (CCD) in Punjab.

In a fact-finding report issued from Lahore, the HRCP alleged that the CCD had adopted staged police encounters as a matter of policy, leading to extrajudicial killings and causing damage to the rule of law and constitutional safeguards in the province.

According to the report, at least 670 CCD encounters were recorded during the first eight months of 2025, based on press reports. A total of 924 suspects were killed in these operations, while two police officials lost their lives.

The HRCP stated that its investigative mission had identified violations of laws and Pakistan's international human rights obligations. It pointed out that under the Torture and Custodial Death (Prevention and Punishment) Act, 2022, every custodial death must be investigated by the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) under the supervision of the National Commission for Human Rights (NCHR). However, it found no clear evidence of compliance with this mandatory procedure in the cases reviewed. In one petition, a court directed the FIA to conduct an investigation.

Meanwhile, Inspector General of Punjab Police Abdul Kareem has said that additional resources will be provided to the Crime Control Department (CCD) to help achieve its objectives.

In an introductory meeting, CCD Additional IG Sohail Zafar Chattha briefed the IGP on the department's mandate, objectives, performance and challenges.

Chattha stated that, in collaboration with district police, the CCD is taking measures to eliminate serious crimes. He added that the CCD is supported by a criminals' database, modern surveillance and monitoring systems, trackers and advanced IT.