924 Killed by Police in Just Eight Months in One Province of Pakistan

In Pakistan’s Punjab province, at least 924 people were killed by police between April and December last year. The country’s leading human rights organization, Human Rights Commission of Pakistan (HRCP), disclosed this information in a report published on Tuesday. According to a report by Al Jazeera, these killings mainly occurred during operations conducted by the newly formed Crime Control Department (CCD).

In April 2025, the CCD was established in Punjab to curb major crimes. Since then, at least 924 suspects have been killed in 670 ‘encounters.’ The human rights organization claims that these killings were carried out in a planned manner, violating the law and the constitution.

Zubaida Bibi, a resident of Bahawalpur city in South Punjab, said that CCD officials raided their home and looted mobile phones, cash, jewelry, and her daughter’s dowry money. They then took away her three sons—Imran (25), Irfan (23), Adnan (18)—and two sons-in-law. Within 24 hours, all of them were killed in police encounters. Zubaida said that although she followed them as far as Lahore to secure her sons’ release, it was in vain. After filing a case, the police threatened that the remaining family members would also be killed.

In its report, HRCP stated that the CCD is carrying out extrajudicial killings, which are clear examples of human rights violations. The organization said that the affected families are living in fear and panic.

The CCD was formed under Punjab Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz Sharif. She is the daughter of three-time Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif and the niece of current Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif. Human rights activists say that this agency, formed under political leadership, is operating outside the law.

Nearly one thousand deaths at the hands of police in eight months in Punjab have once again raised questions about Pakistan’s human rights situation. Families allege that they are not only losing their loved ones but are also becoming victims of looting and threats. Human rights organizations warn that unless extrajudicial killings are stopped, Pakistan’s law and order and human rights situation will become even more alarming.