The PTI on Monday expressed concern over deaths resulting from operations conducted by Punjab’s Crime Control Department (CCD), calling for a judicial inquiry. The remarks come after a fact-finding report by the Human Rights Commission of Pakistan (HRCP) called for an urgent high-level judicial inquiry into deaths during CCD operations. It should be mentioned that the CCD had rejected the HRCP’s report, terming claims of staged encounters and extrajudicial actions as unfounded and contrary to the department’s operational framework. In a statement issued on Monday, PTI Central Information Secretary Sheikh Waqas Akram questioned how so many deaths were possible in alleged encounters. “During the last eight months, as many as 670 encounters and 924 deaths have been reported. What is happening in Punjab? Is it an official state policy?” Akram asked. He asked why the government was silent on the report issued by the HRCP and why its findings were not being taken seriously. “Will the law be enforced through courts or through encounters? Under which law have such powers been given to the CCD?” he asked. Akram demanded that an independent judicial inquiry be conducted to investigate every reported death. He said that public trust would continue to dwindle if transparency was not ensured.
PTI voices concern over CCD encounters, demands inquiry
Published on: February 24, 2026 1:12 AM