Lahore, 17 February 2026. A fact-finding report released by the Human Rights Commission of Pakistan (HRCP) has concluded that the Crime Control Department (CCD) in Punjab has adopted a deliberate policy of staged encounters—in many cases resulting in extrajudicial killings—that fundamentally undermines the rule of law and constitutional protections in the province.

Based on reports in the press, HRCP has documented at least 670 CCD-led encounters over the course of eight months in 2025, resulting in the deaths of 924 suspects, with only two police officers killed during the same period. The extreme casualty imbalance—averaging more than two fatal encounters daily—combined with the uniformity of operational patterns across districts, indicates an institutionalized practice rather than isolated incidents of misconduct. The fact-finding mission has therefore called for an urgent high-level judicial inquiry into these deaths.