Rawalpindi courts acquitted nearly three-fourths of the accused in criminal cases decided during the first 10 months of 2026, raising serious questions about the quality of police investigations and prosecution.
The courts heard 63,824 cases between January 1 and October 31 and gave verdicts in 6,405 of them. In 4,745 the accused walked free, with convictions in only 1,660.
Most acquittals came down to insufficient evidence, false cases or witnesses turning hostile, and the problem was sharpest in serious and violent crimes.
Why Rawalpindi courts acquit so many
The gap is widest in murder cases: the sessions court heard 565 and decided 173, with 59 convictions and 114 acquittals.
Attempted murder fared little better: 146 of 1,730 cases heard were decided, with 131 acquittals and only 15 convictions.
The figures were worse in cases involving women and children. Of 476 cases of abducting women that came up for hearing, 13 were decided — and every accused was acquitted, with not a single conviction.
Likewise, of 297 cases of sexual abuse of children and students taken up by the courts, only eight reached a verdict — and all eight ended in acquittals, with no one convicted.
The Express Tribune reported that the low conviction rate has raised questions about police investigations and prosecution, particularly in serious and violent crimes.
Theft, drugs and fraud
Ordinary theft produced 66 convictions from 2,664 cases heard, each convict getting three years in prison, with total fines of Rs187,000.
Theft from houses and shops gave 79 convictions and 401 acquittals from 2,702 cases, with fines of Rs279,000.
Of 1,135 cases of theft by employees in houses and shops, 27 ended in acquittals and nine in convictions, with fines of Rs75,000.
Car and motorcycle theft gave 242 convictions and 343 acquittals from 4,572 cases, with fines of Rs924,000.
Drug supply and trafficking cases under Sections 9-A, 9-B and 9-C of the narcotics law totalled 1,842. Of these, 136 ended in convictions, while 233 were declared false or found to involve fabricated recoveries, and the accused were honourably acquitted.
Criminal breach of trust produced 56 acquittals from 2,059 cases heard, and not one conviction. Fraud and swindling gave only five convictions from 2,209 cases, against 58 acquittals.
Among the 1,660 convicted, 41 were sentenced to death and 24 to life imprisonment. Another 130 got 10 years each, 21 got five to seven years, and 599 were jailed for six months to three years. Fines of Rs51.611 million were also imposed.
Another 424 accused, all first-time offenders, were put on probation for a year after strict warnings. They must report to probation officers and commit no further offence during that period.
Weak investigations blamed
Supreme Court advocate and criminal law expert Shan Zhaib Khan blamed the high acquittal rate on weak evidence in police challans, false witnesses, police personnel presented as witnesses even though official records showed they were not at the scene, and fabricated recoveries.
He said courts must decide on the evidence on record, and witnesses giving false testimony invariably faltered during proceedings.
The pattern is not limited to Rawalpindi. Maryam removed the Jhelum DC over an exam postponement after BISE postponed computer science papers in Jhelum, showing how administrative failures reach the courts. In Rawalpindi itself, 92 News anchor Rabia Ahsan was found dead at home, and her husband was taken into custody as police probe the shooting. In Okara, a husband was held after his wife’s death. The Punjab Labour Code 2026 extends cover to gig workers, but labour cases also depend on the same courts and the same quality of evidence.
What happens next
The figures cover only the first 10 months of 2026, and the full-year picture will be clearer in January. The immediate question is whether police and prosecution change how they build cases.
Stronger challans, honest witnesses and real recoveries would lift conviction rates. Without them, the pattern of acquittals is likely to continue, and victims will keep seeing the accused walk free.
Frequently asked questions
How many cases did Rawalpindi courts decide in 2026?
They heard 63,824 cases from January 1 to October 31, 2026, and gave verdicts in 6,405.
How many ended in acquittals?
The accused were acquitted in 4,745 cases, while convictions were secured in only 1,660. That means nearly three-fourths of decided cases ended in acquittals.
Which crimes had the lowest conviction rates?
No one was convicted in the 13 abduction cases decided, nor in the eight child and student sexual abuse cases decided. Attempted murder gave only 15 convictions from 146 decided cases.
Why are so many accused acquitted?
Shan Zhaib Khan, a Supreme Court advocate, pointed to weak evidence in police challans, false witnesses, police presented as witnesses though records showed they were not at the scene, and fabricated recoveries.
What sentences did convicted accused receive?
The 1,660 convictions included 41 death sentences, 24 life terms, 130 sentences of 10 years, 21 of five to seven years and 599 of six months to three years, with fines of Rs51.611 million.
