A constable at a picket slaps you for arguing with him. Your brother is picked up at night and the police station will not tell your family where he is. A SHO officer files your FIR but changes the facts.
These things happen in Pakistan. And you are not stuck with them. There are official routes to file a complaint against police, and a body of law behind each one. This post walks you through them.
What the law says about police conduct
A police officer is a public servant. When an officer breaks the law on duty, the Pakistan Penal Code (PPC) treats it as an offence.
- Section 166. An officer who knowingly disobeys the law, intending to cause injury. Up to one year in prison, or a fine, or both.
- Section 167. An officer who frames an incorrect document, like a false report or a false FIR. Up to three years.
- Section 220. An officer who maliciously commits a person for trial or confinement, knowing it is against the law. Up to seven years.
- Section 342. Wrongful confinement. Up to one year, or a fine up to three thousand rupees.
- Section 337-K. Causing hurt to extract a confession. Up to ten years, on top of the punishment for the hurt itself.
- Section 348. Wrongful confinement to extract a confession. Up to three years and a fine.
For custody, there is a separate law. The Torture and Custodial Death (Prevention and Punishment) Act 2022 defines torture as severe pain inflicted on a person in custody to get information or a confession. Under section 8, a public official who commits torture gets the same punishment as the harm caused under Chapter XVI of the PPC. The offence is cognizable and non bailable. Under section 3, any statement taken by torture is not admissible as evidence against the person who made it.
Route 1. Complain to the police themselves
Every province runs an official complaint system. These are the current ones.
- Punjab. The Complaint Management System, with the IGP Complaint Center on 1787. You can lodge by SMS, phone, email, or online at punjabpolice.gov.pk.
- Sindh. The IGP Complaint Management System at igpcms.sindhpolice.gov.pk, with the helpline on 1715.
- Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. The Police Access Service at complaints.kppolice.gov.pk.
- Balochistan. The online complaint system at balochistanpolice.gov.pk, with the IGP complaint center on 1715.
- Islamabad. The online complaint form at islamabadpolice.gov.pk, with the helpline on 1715.
You get a tracking number when your complaint is registered. Senior officers monitor the case until it is closed. Keep that number. It is the only proof you have that you complained.
Route 2. FIA for torture or death in custody
If an officer tortured you or a family member, the police are not the right place to complain. The law sends this to the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA).
Section 5 of the Torture Act 2022 gives the FIA exclusive jurisdiction to investigate complaints against public officials for torture. Section 6 says only a Court of Sessions can try these cases. Section 13 gives the investigation thirty days.
You can file the complaint online at complaint.fia.gov.pk. If a magistrate has reasonable grounds to believe torture happened during remand, the Act requires a medical examination. If the examination shows torture, the magistrate must notify the FIA. Get a medical report yourself too, and get it fast.
Route 3. Go to court
You do not need the police to agree with you before you go to court. The Code of Criminal Procedure (CrPC) allows a private complaint.
Under section 190 of the CrPC, a first class magistrate takes cognizance of an offence on a complaint. Under section 200, the magistrate examines the complainant on oath. Under section 204, if there is sufficient ground, the court issues a summons or a warrant against the accused officer.
There is one hurdle. Section 197 of the CrPC says no court can take cognizance of an offence by a public servant acting in official duty without sanction. For federal officers the sanction comes from the President. For provincial officers, from the Governor. This sanction step is where many cases slow down, so expect it.
If the officer's conduct amounts to a criminal offence, you can also file an FIR like any other offence. And if the problem is illegal detention, the fastest route is a writ petition to the High Court under Article 199 of the Constitution. That is the habeas corpus route, and it does not wait for an inquiry.
Route 4. The federal ombudsman
The Wafaqi Mohtasib, the federal ombudsman, takes free complaints about maladministration by federal agencies. No lawyer is needed. Islamabad Police and the FIA are both on the ombudsman's complaint list. You can file at mohtasib.gov.pk. Provincial police are not under this office, which is why the provincial complaint systems above matter.
What makes a complaint work
Complaints get answered when they are hard to ignore. Do these things.
- Put it in writing. Dated, signed, with the facts in order.
- Get a medical report if there is hurt. The same day if possible.
- Name witnesses. Note CCTV cameras and phone records.
- Note the officer's name, rank, and station. A badge number if you got one.
- Keep every copy and every tracking number.
And do not file a false complaint. Section 11 of the Torture Act punishes a malafide complaint with the same punishment as the offence itself. A real complaint is protected. A made up one is a crime.
What happens next
The complaint cell route leads to a departmental inquiry. The outcome can be a punishment, a transfer, or a written apology. It rarely leads to jail time for the officer.
The court route is the one that can punish an officer. It is slower, and the sanction requirement is real, but it is the route that ends in conviction. If you cannot afford a lawyer, free legal aid exists for exactly this kind of case.
For torture, the law is on your side on paper. FIA investigates, the Sessions Court decides, and section 15 of the Torture Act keeps your right to sue for damages open as well.
If you are the one facing the police, not complaining about them, read up on your rights when you are arrested first. What you do in the first hours decides most of what happens next.
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