Slug: punjab-govt-rejects-cm-ordered-ccd-encounter-allegations
Category: National News
Focus keyphrase: CCD encounters
SEO title: Punjab Govt Rejects CM-Ordered CCD Encounters Claim
Meta description: Azma Bokhari denied that Maryam Nawaz ordered CCD encounters, saying the Punjab government stands with the oppressed, not oppressors.
Tags: CCD, Azma Bokhari, Maryam Nawaz, Punjab government, police encounters, HRCP, Multan, Waseem Abbas
Original element: our own data point — Feature Pakistan’s own four-part arc on this case (the Multan encounter report, the HRCP probe demand, the contractor background and the Laiba Ejaz link) gives readers the full timeline behind the minister’s remarks, linked below.
Punjab Government Rejects Claims of CM-Ordered CCD Encounters
LAHORE: Punjab Information Minister Azma Bokhari on Wednesday categorically denied that Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz had ordered CCD encounters, insisting the provincial government stood with the oppressed rather than the oppressors.
Bokhari was responding to criticism over the alleged police encounter in which Tauqeer Nazir, the prime suspect in the killing of 15-year-old Waseem Abbas in Multan, died after police said he fled custody and was shot by his own accomplices during a re-arrest operation.
“Why would the chief minister order an encounter? It is not as if she has foreknowledge of such incidents,” Bokhari said in an interview on the programme Aaj Shahzeb Khanzada Kay Sath, The Express Tribune reported.
“The state has a responsibility to stand with the oppressed. You may consider this a mistake on the part of the state or an allegation against it; you may call it whatever you like, but the Punjab government does not stand with the oppressor. It stands with the oppressed,” she said.
When asked about hundreds of alleged extrajudicial killings by the CCD, including cases where the main suspect was killed while accomplices escaped, Bokhari rejected the suggestion that the pattern occurred in every case. She said that even when a suspect was killed, the remaining suspects were traced, arrested and brought before the police.
“When a suspect is killed, the investigation slows down a little. When suspects flee, it takes some time to trace them. But this does not mean that this happens in every incident,” she said.
The Multan case
Nazir had allegedly chased Abbas in his car after a dispute over work and run him over in a private housing society in Multan on Monday. He was arrested and handed over to police on a four-day physical remand by a judicial magistrate the next day.
Feature Pakistan reported the death of the accused in the CCD operation after police confirmed the incident, and the Human Rights Commission of Pakistan later demanded an independent probe into what it called an extrajudicial killing.
Bokhari said the investigation had shown Nazir was short-tempered and ill-mannered, and that Abbas had tried to flee three times. The minister acknowledged Nazir had no previous criminal record, but said he chose to flee rather than face trial.
Twin deaths, same day
Hours before the Multan incident, the prime suspect in the death-by-suicide case of former International Islamic University Islamabad student Laiba Ejaz also died after being shot by his own accomplices during an attack on a police team in Islamabad, a death Feature Pakistan reported at the time.
The back-to-back deaths drew sharp criticism, with calls for justice through the courts rather than police action. Feature Pakistan covered the recovered cash returned to the victim’s family and the wider background of that case.
Hina Pervez Butt’s deleted post
Asked about a now-deleted post on X by PML-N MPA and Punjab government official Hina Pervez Butt, Bokhari questioned the seriousness of her statements. Hina had shared screenshots of a television report about the Multan encounter with the caption: “This is Maryam Nawaz sahiba’s government; justice is served immediately here.”
“She has posted such things before, perhaps out of a lack of seriousness. She has also made statements that created problems for her and caused embarrassment for the government,” Bokhari said.
The wider CCD encounters row
Bokhari said cases involving organised crime were referred to the CCD rather than the regular police to ensure better investigation and prosecution and to meet legal requirements. She said the department had arrested hundreds, possibly thousands, of criminals.
According to figures released by the Human Rights Commission of Pakistan in June, the organisation had documented 808 police encounters since the CCD was established in April 2025, in which at least 1,100 suspects were killed. The commission has called for an independent and transparent investigation and an end to extrajudicial killings in all forms.
Bokhari added that the chief minister was working to revamp the prosecution system and that considerable progress had been made.
Frequently asked questions
What did Azma Bokhari say about CCD encounters?
She categorically denied that Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz had ordered the CCD to carry out encounters, and said the Punjab government stood with the oppressed, not the oppressors.
What is the Multan case about?
Tauqeer Nazir, accused of running over 15-year-old Waseem Abbas in Multan, died after police said he fled custody and was shot by his own accomplices during a re-arrest operation.
What are the HRCP’s figures on CCD encounters?
In June, the HRCP said it had documented 808 police encounters since the CCD’s establishment in April 2025, in which at least 1,100 suspects were killed.
What happens next in the case?
The HRCP has demanded an independent and transparent investigation into the Multan incident.
