Punjab [Pakistan], June 2 : Two men were killed, and six sustained injuries in the eight separate encounters with the Faisalabad police within 24 hours on Monday, according to a report by Dawn.
The Faisalabad police have reportedly been using the encounter template of inflicting fatal bullet injuries instead of fulfilling their responsibility of focusing on prosecution and law enforcement.
In the first alleged encounter, the Thikriwala police of Faisalabad killed a man suspected of murdering his brother and sister-in-law over a property dispute, Dawn reported.
A police spokesperson who has been following all 'encounter stories' told Dawn that a team, led by investigating officer Qaim Din, was taking the suspect, Abid Yousaf Jat, to recover the weapon of crime, a gun, on his indication from his house.
He added that as the police van reached near M-4 bridge of Chak 71/JB Sirli, the suspect's six accomplices on three motorcycles attacked a van and opened indiscriminate fire and freed Abid from custody.
"More police force was called from Thikriwala and Painsara. Another exchange of fire took place between the attackers and policemen. When firing stopped, police found Abid in an injured condition while his six accomplices managed to flee. Police claimed that he was injured by the firing of his accomplices," he stated.
Abid was brought to Allied Hospital for treatment of injuries. The doctors, however, declared him dead, Dawn reported.
The suspect, Abid, had allegedly shot dead his brother and his brother's wife over a property feud.
According to Dawn, Abid had earlier informed police that his brother had committed suicide after killing his wife over a dispute between the deceased couple. However, later during police interrogation, he confessed to murdering the couple to grab their share of the inherited property.
Meanwhile, in the second incident, the Nishatabad police of Faisalabad arrested a murder suspect in an injured condition, after an alleged encounter.
Following what has been known as the encounter template, police claimed that the team stopped three suspects on a motorcycle on a picket on the Sargodha Road who then opened fire on the policemen, forcing the police to fire in retaliation.
After the firing ceased, police found one of the suspects, identified as Muhammad Umair Umairi of Chak 8/JB, injured by the 'firing of his fleeing accomplices'. He was shifted to Allied Hospital. The suspect was wanted in a murder case, Dawn reported.
In a third 'encounter,' an alleged robber was arrested in an injured condition by the Dijkot police area of Faisalabad.
Police claimed that they were chasing the four suspects who were fleeing after a robbery. In this encounter too, an exchange of fire took place between the police and suspects.
After the firing stopped, police found one of the suspects injured by the firing of his three unidentified accomplices, who allegedly managed to escape. The injured suspect was identified as Liaqat Ali Bakhtu, who was also shifted to Allied Hospital for treatment, Dawn reported.
In the fourth case, in the area of Batala Colony Police Station of Faisalabad, a robbery suspect was killed during an alleged police encounter.
Police alleged that the suspects opened indiscriminate fire on the personnel, including SHO Batala Colony Zaheer Ahmed Gill, who arrived to raid Siddiquia Graveyard to arrest suspected drug traffickers.
After an exchange of fire between the police and the outlaws, the police arrested one suspect in an injured condition while his other 'accomplices' absconded from the scene.
The injured suspect was identified as Azeem, a resident of Chamanzar Colony, who succumbed to his injuries after being admitted to the hospital.
The police's claim of Azeem being involved in 36 cases of robbery raised suspicion, as the police had earlier reported that they had arrived to arrest the 'drug trafficker'. Police also claimed to have recovered 800 grams of ice from his possession, Dawn reported.
In the fifth encounter, the People's Colony police arrested an alleged robber in an injured condition.
Police said SHO Mian Wajid Hussain was leading a picket near Rafhan Corn Mills, where police signalled two motorcyclists to stop, but they opened fire on policemen who then retaliated in self-defence.
After the exchange of fire, a motorcyclist escaped from the scene, after injuring his 'accomplice' in the firing. The police arrested the injured suspect and shifted him to Allied Hospital for treatment. He was identified as Sajid of Chak 112/GB, who was wanted in 24 robberies, Dawn reported.
The sixth encounter took place in the Chak Jhumra police area.
SHO Rizwan Shaukat Bhatti was leading the police at a picket when they confronted three motorcyclists. The motorcyclists opened fire at the police, who also retaliated.
Following the shoot-out, police found one of the suspects injured with multiple bullet wounds, allegedly fired by his two 'accomplices' who managed to flee the scene.
The injured suspect, identified as Hasnain Karamat, was later shifted to the Chak Jhumra THQ Hospital. Police alleged that he was involved in several robberies and drug smuggling cases, according to the Dawn report.
The seventh encounter occurred near Razaabad Graveyard with the Razaabad police of Faisalabad.
A suspect involved in drug trafficking, identified as Tanweer Hussain, was also injured by the firing of his 'accomplices', who managed to escape. Police said that Hussain was involved in a dozen drug cases, Dawn reported.
In the eighth encounter, the Roshanwala police arrested a suspect with bullet injuries. The suspect allegedly sustained injuries in a firing by his mysterious 'accomplices' who reportedly fled the scene after the encounter.
According to the police's story on the encounter, an exchange of fire took place between the suspects and the police, who were chasing them after they had committed a robbery.
After the alleged 'encounter', the suspect, Mehran Amjad, was arrested in an injured condition and was shifted to Allied Hospital. Police further claimed that Amjad was wanted in several robbery incidents. The police also recovered a snatched motorcycle from his possession.
Human rights bodies have been regularly raising their voices against extrajudicial killings of people by the police and the Crime Control Department (CCD) in Pakistan's Punjab.
Notably, the Human Rights Commission of Pakistan (HRCP), in its fact-finding report released in February this year, quoted that at least 670 CCD-led encounters were carried out across Punjab over eight months in 2025, resulting in the deaths of 924 suspects, while only two police officials were killed during the same timeframe, Dawn reported.
The commission had, thus, called for a high-level judicial inquiry into these deaths, alleging that the police had adopted a "deliberate policy of staged encounters leading to extrajudicial killings".