Press release

HRCP calls for independent judicial tribunal into custodial deaths of two women in Lahore

16 August 2026, Lahore: A fact-finding report released by the Human Rights Commission of Pakistan (HRCP) has identified serious inconsistencies surrounding the deaths of two young women, Amina and Anmol, while in police custody at Lahore’s Township Police Station.

The women were reportedly taken into custody on 4 August following allegations of theft and died within hours. Since then, conflicting official accounts have emerged over the sequence of events, the timing of their deaths, their ages, and whether they were alive when taken to hospital. Although police initially attributed the deaths to cardiac arrest, the final post-mortem reports remain pending, leaving the cause of death unresolved.

The fact-finding report highlights a disturbing contradiction between the family’s account and the official record. While family members say the women bore visible bruises and dried blood, official documents consistently record no external injuries. The report also questions the reliability of the preliminary post-mortem findings, noting that the two reports contain remarkably similar medical observations.

The mission also raises serious concerns about the reported absence of women police officers during the women’s detention, delays in informing the family, and the extraordinary degree of police control over the post-mortem process, burial and subsequent access to the gravesite. The mission further finds that police allegations portraying both women as drug users are unsupported by the available evidence.

While acknowledging the judicial inquiry initiated under Section 176 of the Code of Criminal Procedure, the report concludes that the cumulative inconsistencies in the case demand a more credible and independent process. HRCP has therefore urged the Punjab government to establish a judicial tribunal headed by a sitting judge of the Lahore High Court with full powers to summon witnesses, compel the production of evidence and publish its findings within a fixed timeframe.

The report recommends that the tribunal order an independent forensic examination of the bodies, including exhumation if necessary, secure and review the complete CCTV record, and independently verify the official timeline of events. It also calls for immediate protection and legal assistance for the women’s family, whose vulnerable socioeconomic circumstances make them particularly susceptible to intimidation while seeking justice.

Asad Iqbal Butt
Chairperson