The Lahore High Court is considering Punjab’s “fake” police encounters.

A group of attorneys, including Mian Dawood, have challenged ongoing fictitious police encounters in Punjab in a constitutional suit submitted to the Lahore High Court.

The Punjab government, Punjab Police, Capital City Police, FIA, and the federal government are listed as respondents to the petition.

The petition claims that since January 2025, several people have died in purported fictitious police interactions throughout the province. The petition’s attorneys asserted that persons are being killed after being falsely accused in unspecified cases and having their records altered. According to media estimates, around 1,100 people have apparently died as a result of these encounters thus far.

The petition emphasizes that the Anti-Custodial Death Act 2022 was passed in order to stop similar instances, citing the murder of Zeeshan Shabbir attorney in Vehari as a particularly sad example. The Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) is mandated by law to investigate every death that occurs while a person is in custody within 30 days.

However, the petition contends that Punjabi citizens are still accused of crimes and slain in these encounters in spite of orders from the Lahore High Court. It further emphasizes that since the law’s passage, the FIA has not yet carried out a single investigation into these deaths.

The petition asks the Lahore High Court to direct the FIA and immediately order an end to all police encounters in Punjab.