Extrajudicial killings in Pakistan: Legal accountability, due process, and ethical challenges in the criminal justice system

Extrajudicial killings remain a major obstacle to an effective criminal justice system in Pakistan. There are legal and ethical implications of extrajudicial killings. The extrajudicial killings are often justified on the basis of lack of an efficient accountability system, interference of politicians, inadequacy of the justice and law enforcement institutions, and the like. There are, however, cases in which extrajudicial killings are defended by the state to preserve law and order and deter potential crimes, but this raises moral dilemmas and challenges the justice and due process of law. Hence, it is necessary that Pakistan recognizes the scale of the problem and commits to reforms aimed at addressing accountability, transparency and efficiency in state institutions.