The Wasim Abbas Case: Justice or “Encounter”?

"When punishment is delivered outside the courtroom, it is not only the accused who loses—it is the law itself.”

In Multan's Royal Orchard, Wasim Abbas, a 15-year-old orphan who had come far from home to live in a local orphanage and earn a living, was run over and killed by a vehicle driven by his contractor, Tauqeer Nazir, under whom he had been placed to learn electrical work. Following this incident, police arrested the accused, Tauqeer Nazir, and registered a murder case against him. Soon after, news emerged that the accused had been killed in a police encounter, reportedly by the gunfire of his own accomplices.

The news sparked mixed reactions on social media; while some are celebrating, others demand to see the body, saying they will not believe the news without proof. This public anger is understandable. Who would not grieve the death of an innocent child? Yet, I feel sorrow over this kind of “justice,” and the reason is not sympathy for the accused. It is concern for the future of our judicial system.

The first question is this: If the accused was in police custody, how did he get away from his guards, and how did he die? Until the facts are made public, no one has a reason to simply accept the official account. Every such death deserves a transparent, judicial inquiry.

The second question runs deeper: If the court had sentenced the accused, other criminals would have learned a lesson, and Wasim’s family would have known that the law stood with them. Instead, a death in a police encounter produces no witnesses, leaves no evidence to test, and never explains why the crime was committed. The case ends right there.

The third danger is that the method we applaud today can be used against an innocent person tomorrow. Once something becomes a routine, it is very hard to stop. Police encounters have been questioned before. For instance, in 2019, a CTD operation in Sahiwal killed an entire family, and only the testimony of a surviving child’s challenged the official version.

The real problem is that our justice system is slow and weak, and incidents like this make it even worse. The answer is not to hand out punishment outside the courtroom. The core solution is building courts that are fast, transparent, and strong. Serious crimes require quick trials, solid investigations, and protection for witnesses—Only then will justice be visible to the public.

Wasim Abbas deserves true justice, the kind of justice that strengthens our courts instead of bypassing them. The next time a case like this occurs, the community should be confident that the law stands with them, not that an “encounter” will settle it.