'Upsurge in police brutality in Pakistan'

Pakistan is witnessing an upsurge in police brutality, said Pakistan daily Express Tribune, adding that cops have either shot dead young men on the slightest suspicion or they have tortured people to death in recent months.

In an editorial, the newspaper highlighted the recent cases of encounters by police in Pakistan.

"Police personnel get their salaries from the taxes paid by the people but sometimes what the latter get in return is violent death. This is compelling us to believe we are living in a dystopia," read the editorial.

The newspaper underscored the two "highly detestable" incidents of police brutality: one in Quetta and the other in Mingora.

In Quetta, policemen fired straight on two car-borne young men killing one and wounding the other presuming them to be dangerous.

In the other incident, five cops mercilessly whacked a man after a traffic accident for merely daring to argue with them. The policemen were so daring that they were not deterred by the presence of the crowd.

The newspaper said that all such incidents put a question mark on the quality of training being imparted to police personnel.

"Are they not made aware about the importance of handling such situations with utmost caution and restraint considering the value of human life?" Express Tribune questioned.

"All these invaluable lives were not lost in encounters, behind which the police usually hide their brutality. An encounter means an exchange of gunfire between cops and 'criminals'. However, in some 'encounters' several people from the other side die but not a single cop suffers even a minor injury," it added.

( With inputs from ANI )