61 Islamabad Police Encounters Recorded in 2026
Five suspects were killed and 53 others injured in more than five dozen alleged encounters in Islamabad in the current year, according to data collected from the capital police. The Islamabad police encounters also left a policeman injured, the data shows.
Saddar Zone saw 22 encounters, followed by Industrial Area with 17, Soan with nine, City with seven and Rural with six. Two of the five deaths were in Industrial Area Zone, and one each in City, Rural and Soan zones.
Injuries followed a similar pattern, with 18 in Saddar, 16 in Industrial Area, eight in Soan, six in City and five in Rural Zone. About 140 suspects were involved in total, of whom 114 escaped and 26 were arrested.
The encounters took place when police were taking handcuffed suspects to hideouts for recovery or returning from there, or during patrolling and pickets when police tried to intercept suspects.
What the Islamabad police encounters data shows
| Zone | Encounters | Suspects killed | Suspects injured |
|---|---|---|---|
| Saddar | 22 | 0 | 18 |
| Industrial Area | 17 | 2 | 16 |
| Soan | 9 | 1 | 8 |
| City | 7 | 1 | 6 |
| Rural | 6 | 1 | 5 |
| Total | 61 | 5 | 53 |
In these encounters, police remained unhurt, taking cover on the road, behind vehicles, or in wooded areas and ditches, and fired shots into the air in self-defence, according to the police account.
In all incidents, suspects were injured by their accomplices’ fire, according to police. That claim, repeated across dozens of cases, draws the closest scrutiny from courts, lawyers and families.
In the current month, six encounters left a suspect and an accused dead and three suspects and a policeman injured, matching the yearly pattern.
The Shams Colony case and its contradictions
Early this week, an encounter took place in Shams Colony police limits in which the main accused behind the Laiba Aijaz suicide incident was killed. The police registered a case under sections 324, 353, 186, 427, 224 and 34 of the Pakistan Penal Code.
However, the FIR and the police statement contradicted each other. The FIR put the incident at around 8:20pm, with a case registered on a report filed at 9:35pm, and said the team was returning after making recoveries.
The Police Public Relations Branch statement at around 10:30pm said the team was taking the suspect to a hideout for recovery. The FIR said four men on a motorcycle blocked the road at Babu Shafqat Qurashi Road Officers Colony, H-13, and opened fire.
The branch’s statement said four accomplices hiding along the way opened indiscriminate fire to free the suspect. The FIR said the accomplices fired and urged the accused to escape, while police took cover behind their vehicle and a wall.
Police fired shots into the air, but the accused freed his handcuff from a constable, jumped from the vehicle and ran, before falling to a bullet injury from his accomplices’ fire. His four accomplices escaped.
The deputy inspector general and the senior superintendents for operations and investigations did not reply when approached for comment.
Why encounter data matters for accountability
Encounter figures matter because they show a pattern. When 114 of about 140 suspects escape, police remain unhurt in every case, and the injured are said to have been shot by their own accomplices, the pattern itself becomes the question.
Courts have begun testing such accounts in other cases. The Lahore High Court has been moved over an alleged encounter death in Multan, and the Punjab chief minister has publicly endorsed the police version in the Hina Javed case. An anti-terrorism court has also warned Imaan Mazari and Hadi Ali Chattha over their statements in a security breach case.
The data gives a baseline: 61 encounters, five deaths, 53 injuries, one policeman hurt, 26 arrests. Whether it leads to inquiries depends on whether contradictions like those in Shams Colony are pursued or left as paperwork.
How many encounters took place in Islamabad this year?
Police data records 61 alleged encounters in Islamabad in the current year, with five suspects killed, 53 injured and one policeman injured.
Which zones saw the most encounters?
Saddar Zone recorded the most with 22 encounters, followed by Industrial Area Zone with 17. Soan, City and Rural zones recorded nine, seven and six respectively.
What happened in the Shams Colony encounter?
The main accused in the Laiba Aijaz suicide incident was killed. The FIR and the police public relations statement differed on the timing and on whether the team was going to or returning from a recovery.
Did senior police officers comment?
No. The deputy inspector general, the senior superintendent of police operations and investigations were approached for comments, but they did not reply.
