The Human Rights Commission of Pakistan (HRCP) has sounded the alarm over what it calls the “disturbing normalisation” of alleged police encounters across Punjab, cautioning that such killings are steadily replacing the rule of law.
According to HRCP, more than 500 police encounters have taken place in the province since January 2025, resulting in over 670 deaths, a figure higher than in any other province.
Taking to the social media platform, X, HRCP stated that this worrying pattern has deepened since the creation of the Crime Control Department (CCD) in February 2025, a special wing of the Punjab Police established to tackle organised crime. Instead of curbing lawlessness, the commission warned, the CCD appears to have evolved into a “parallel police structure” operating with unchecke