Why Pakistan Must Reject Extrajudicial Killings to Defeat Crime
By Malik Muhammad Ishaq
President PPP — Policies & Planning (Gulf/Middle East)
Advocate Of Justice & Human Rights
Political Strategist
Executive Summary
Pakistan can—and must—fight violent crime decisively. But extrajudicial killings (“encounters”) are not justice. They weaken the state, erode public trust, risk innocent lives, and invite abuse of power. Sustainable public safety comes from the rule of law, accountable policing, speedy trials, and modern investigations—not fear.
A Nation Doesn’t Collapse When Crime Exists—It Collapses When Justice Is Replaced by Fear
Societies can endure hardship, but they rarely survive the normalization of injustice. When citizens begin to believe that rights, due process, and courts no longer matter, fear replaces conscience. Silence spreads—not because people don’t understand right from wrong, but because they feel speaking up is unsafe.
That is the moment states become fragile.
