Pakistani businessman Muhammad Nouman Qaiser, who travelled from Barcelona to cooperate with police, was killed in a Lahore encounter hours after his release from Camp Jail, sparking allegations of a staged killing.
WEBDESK – News Courtesy: Murtaza Ali Shah (from FB wall) – MediaBites News
A Pakistani businessman based in Spain has reportedly been killed in a police encounter in Lahore only hours after being released from jail, a development his legal team has described as a “fake encounter” and a case of authorities effectively issuing a “license to kill.”
According to his lawyer, Muhammad Nouman Qaiser, who lived in Barcelona, had returned to Pakistan voluntarily to cooperate with investigators in several cases registered against him in Punjab.
Qaiser was granted bail and released from Camp Jail Lahore on Wednesday. However, his lawyer alleges that immediately after leaving the jail premises, he was detained by officers from the Crime Control Department Punjab (CCD) and taken to an undisclosed location.
A short time later, police announced that Qaiser had been killed during what they described as an encounter operation.
Lawyer claims staged killing
Qaiser’s Spanish legal counsel had reportedly contacted Punjab authorities earlier, urging them to ensure his safety and allow the legal process to proceed through the courts.
His lawyer now claims those warnings went unheeded.
“He came to Lahore willingly to face the law,” the lawyer said, alleging that the businessman was eliminated in a staged encounter shortly after being taken into custody.
According to the legal team, the killing raises serious concerns about extrajudicial actions by law enforcement and the protection of suspects who choose to cooperate with authorities.
Questions over encounter culture
The incident has triggered renewed debate in Pakistan about controversial police encounters, where suspects are killed during alleged shootouts with officers.
Critics argue that some of these incidents bypass the judicial system and undermine due process, while supporters say police sometimes face dangerous armed criminals during operations.
Authorities have yet to release a detailed statement explaining the circumstances surrounding Qaiser’s death or the alleged encounter.
For Qaiser’s family and lawyers, however, the tragedy has left painful questions.
A businessman who traveled thousands of miles from Europe to clear his name, they say, never got the chance to stand before a court.
