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Inside Pakistan’s police encounters: Crossfire or staged killings?

Families allege fake encounters as over 60 die in Punjab, raising questions about police power and the right to life

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Laiba Zainab

Correspondent

Laiba Zainab is an award-winning journalist with nearly a decade of experience in digital media. She has received the DW & CEJ-IBA Data Journalism Award and the top digital media prize at the National Media Fellowship. At NUKTA, she covers underreported stories on health, crime, and social justice.

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Inside Pakistan’s police encounters: Crossfire or staged killings?play icon
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More than 60 people were killed in alleged police encounters in Punjab within days of a crackdown announcement and many of these cases follow the same disturbing pattern.

In this video, we investigate the killing of lawyer Zeeshan Dhadhi and his nephew, Hasnain Yousaf, who police claimed were drug peddlers killed in a crossfire. But their family alleges a staged encounter, prior threats, and a personal grudge involving the local SHO.

Why do police encounter reports across Pakistan sound identical? “Crossfire.” “Accomplices’ firing.” “Self-defense.” Are these real shootouts or a pattern of extra-judicial killings? This report breaks down:

  • The Zeeshan Dhadhi case
  • Repeating police encounter narratives
  • Legal and human rights questions
  • Why “accomplices’ firing” appears in almost every FIR
This is not just one case, this is about power, accountability, and the right to life.

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