Karachi encounter deaths will now be treated as custodial deaths, with mandatory medical documentation, post-mortem examination and judicial oversight, The Express Tribune reported.
The change is in a new standing order from Karachi Police Surgeon Dr Summaiya Syed. It makes it compulsory to examine the bodies under the Dead on Arrival protocol and issue a medico-legal certificate in every such case.
The order is a step towards scrutiny of police encounters, which have long drawn questions about how suspects die in custody and on the street.
Karachi encounter deaths: what the standing order requires
Under the order, every case where a person is killed in a police encounter must go to a magistrate for judicial directions under Section 176 of the Code of Criminal Procedure. The case must also go to the police surgeon so a post-mortem examination team can be formed.
The Dead on Arrival medico-legal certificate must carry full details of the incident and the state of the body, including whether rigor mortis is present, the condition and severity of post-mortem bruising, details of the clothing, and the total number of injuries found.
The order is clear that the medico-legal officer will not decide on the nature of the injuries. The police officer who takes the body to the hospital must also sign and give identification details, which must be recorded in the medico-legal certificate.
Why the order matters
Karachi has recorded 197 encounter killings this year, a figure that has kept the practice under public debate. Until now, deaths in encounters were not routinely put through the same process as deaths in custody.
Treating them as custodial deaths brings two checks into play at once: a medical record that must be complete, and a magistrate who must give directions. The combination makes it harder for a death to pass without a paper trail.
The order also fixes responsibility on the officer who brings the body to hospital. That officer’s name and signature must now form part of the certificate, so the chain of custody is recorded from the start.
A wider push for accountability
The move fits a broader pattern of courts and officials demanding clearer records from the police. The Lahore High Court has rebuked the Punjab Police over trial delays and sought a report on pending challans, while the Gul Plaza case continues to test how Karachi’s institutions handle evidence and accountability.
Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa, meanwhile, has unveiled a Rs70 billion counterterrorism plan to rebuild its police and Counter Terrorism Department, with new hiring and better surveillance. The Karachi order takes a different route to the same goal: not more force, but more paperwork, more medical evidence and a magistrate in the loop.
Whether the standing order changes practice on the ground will depend on enforcement. The Police Surgeon’s office will now receive every encounter case for a post-mortem team, and every file must pass a magistrate. For families of the dead, that at least creates a record that can be questioned. The standing order applies to every alleged encounter death in the city from now on.
Frequently asked questions
What changes under the new standing order?
All deaths in alleged police encounters in Karachi will be treated as custodial deaths, with mandatory medico-legal certificates, post-mortems and judicial oversight.
Who issued the order?
Karachi Police Surgeon Dr Summaiya Syed, through a new standing order on Dead on Arrival protocol.
What must the medico-legal certificate record?
Rigor mortis, the condition and severity of post-mortem bruising, details of the deceased’s clothing and the total number of injuries found on the body.
What role does a magistrate play?
Every encounter-death case will be referred to a magistrate for judicial directions under Section 176 of the Code of Criminal Procedure.
How many encounter killings has Karachi recorded this year?
Our live report counts 197 encounter killings in Karachi in the first ten months of 2026, the record this standing order now answers.
