Many killings in the dark secret world of money launders and drug and arms traffickers from the tribal belt in the north, to Karachi in the south fall into this category. Here, the state kills. It employs a variety of questionable and contrived methods to kill. The police encounter is the most common way of eliminating perceived criminals or elements considered inconvenient. It happened under every government during the last five decades.
Fake encounters provide a recipe for killing.
They fear that courts may not find these persons guilty or may not sentence them harshly enough for their satisfaction. Among other extra-judicial killings by the state can be included death by torture during investigation. Lately, a government department tortured a trader to death in Faisalabad. Another trader's death in Islamabad took place under confusing circumstances. Hasan Nasir's death by torture in jail a generation ago continues to be the fate of many political workers as well as anti-social elements.