Two killed, six injured in eight alleged police encounters in Faisalabad in 24 hours

WEB DESK: At least two people were killed and six others injured in eight separate alleged encounters with police across Faisalabad within a 24-hour period, according to police statements, with all incidents following a similar account of armed suspects allegedly engaging officers and coming under fire during retaliatory action.

Suspects killed and injured in multiple operations

In the first incident, police said a murder suspect, Abid Yousaf Jat, wanted in a double killing over a property dispute, was killed when he was allegedly caught in crossfire during an operation in Thikriwala area. Police maintained that his accomplices attacked a van in an attempt to free him, leading to an exchange of fire in which he sustained fatal injuries.

In a second incident in Nishatabad, police claimed three suspects on a motorcycle opened fire at a checkpoint, after which one was found injured and identified as a wanted murder suspect. He was shifted to hospital.

Further alleged encounters were reported in Dijkot, Batala Colony, Peoples Colony, Chak Jhumra, Razaabad and Roshanwala police areas, where police said suspects involved in robbery or drug-related offences either fled or were injured in retaliatory firing. In most cases, police stated that injured suspects were hit by bullets fired by their “accomplices” who managed to escape.

One suspect was reported killed in Batala Colony during an operation against alleged drug traffickers, while six others were injured in separate incidents and shifted to hospital.

Repeated ‘encounter’ accounts draw scrutiny

All incidents followed a broadly similar pattern in official police narratives, involving claimed ambushes on law-enforcement teams, exchanges of fire, and suspects being found injured afterwards.

Human rights organisations have repeatedly expressed concern over what they describe as a rise in staged encounters in Punjab. The Human Rights Commission of Pakistan (HRCP), in a fact-finding report earlier this year, cited hundreds of alleged CCD-led encounters across the province over an eight-month period, claiming over 900 deaths, and calling for judicial inquiries into such operations.

Police, however, have consistently maintained that their actions are conducted in line with the law and in response to armed resistance by criminal gangs. The latest incidents could not be independently verified.