Death of an icon

The targeted killing of renowned qawwal Amjad Sabri on a busy street in Karachi on Wednesday suggests that those opposed to peace in the city are intent on moving ahead with their agenda. Residents of the Quaid’s city had welcomed a lull in the senseless violence that had gripped the city for almost a decade after the Rangers launched an operation here last year. However, what we are seeing is that the lawlessness is gradually returning to the city despite the presence of the Rangers and their continuing operation. Last week, we saw the killing of a doctor belonging to the Ahmadi community. Prior to that there were more targeted killings over the past month. We also saw the kidnapping of the son of the chief justice of the province some days back. All these actions fly in the face of claims that the law and order situation has taken a turn for the better. The bigger issue is that those responsible for these gruesome acts are not being traced, caught and punished.

Addressing the law and order situation requires more than an operation by the Rangers. There must be political will from all parties in the city which is clearly not evident. There must also be an effort on the part of the government to improve the performance of the local police which is lacking in all respects.  What the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province has shown to the rest of the country is when there is a committed political leadership which supports a professional police force, we can get quick results in nabbing those behind such crimes. We saw this happen in the case of some high profile murders in that province. The same approach has to be taken in Sindh, where clearly much needs to be done to improve the overall law and order situation. Till that does not happen, the province will continue to suffer and our icons will be targeted to unleash a wave of fear and restlessness in the general public.

Published in The Express Tribune, June 23^rd, 2016.

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