Anti-Corruption Raids Have Slowed Lahore Police Investigations by Nearly Half

Lahore's police investigation system has slowed by almost 50% since the Punjab Anti-Corruption Establishment (ACE) began raiding and arresting officers for taking bribes, according to a Dawn report published October 1, 2026. The report says the slowdown has exposed how far investigations depended on money collected from complainants and the accused.

What the ACE crackdown triggered

Investigating officers (IOs) in Lahore have largely stopped working since the ACE began arresting corrupt officers, according to the report. Officers had been taking money from complainants and the accused, often presented as fuel for official vehicles, because the official investigation budget is low.

A system that ran on bribes to begin with

Investigating officers also allege that prosecutors demand between Rs5,000 and Rs50,000 per case to clear objections raised on police reports, Dawn reported. Prosecution staff, according to the report, have cited problems with the Punjab Information Technology Board (PITB) system as a reason for delays.

The underlying resourcing problem

An official quoted by Dawn said the Punjab government has provided Rs40 million under the investigation head, while Lahore needs an estimated Rs1 billion a year. In 2022, the then DIG Investigation requested Rs867 million and received Rs56 million. A senior officer put the cost of investigating a murder case at Rs50,000 to Rs100,000, depending on its sensitivity.

About 165,000 cases have been registered across Lahore's 84 police stations since January 2026, nearly all of them pending, according to the report, also carried by ANI. The city averages about 280,000 cases a year. The matter has been taken up in recent meetings of the police high command with no outcome so far, an official said.

What the police leadership has done so far

DIG Investigation Zeeshan Raza confirmed the problems to Dawn and said his department had asked the Punjab government, through the inspector general of police, for more investigation funds.

Related coverage

Police governance is also under debate in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, where the provincial cabinet approved a Police Act in September. Public trust in policing and reform pilots are covered in our community policing piece.

What to watch

The next step is the Punjab government's response to the investigation department's request, made through the IGP, for more funds.

Build Better Pakistan's Security Desk tracks policing, public safety and accountability institutions across Pakistan's provinces.