The tragic case of a young boy named Ibrahim has unleashed public outrage and a noisy search for someone to blame. The shopping-centre administration is condemned for neglecting safety, the municipal corporation for poor infrastructure, the town nazim for looking the other way, and the police for failing to act. Even parents, vendors and scrap-metal buyers find themselves on the moral charge-sheet. In such an interconnected city, the question is not only “who is guilty?” but “how is responsibility shared?”
Institutional accountability must come first. Shopping-centre management has a clear legal and ethical duty to protect visitors through CCTV, proper lighting and swift responses to suspicious activity. When these safeguards are missing, the premises become fertile ground for crime. Similarly, the municipal corporation is responsible for planning and maintaining the urban environment. Dark streets, broken drains and neglected public spaces quietly enable criminal behaviour.
Elected representatives, especially the town nazim, are supposed to be guardians of public welfare. Their role is to coordinate agencies, prioritise community safety and ensure that law-enforcement works in practice, not just on paper. Where they are indifferent or absent, insecurity deepens. The police, as the enforcing arm of the state, must register complaints, investigate promptly and uphold due process. Delayed, selective or careless policing not only emboldens offenders but also erodes citizens’ trust.
Yet the story does not end with institutions. Ordinary citizens also shape the moral climate of a city. Parents under economic pressure may unintentionally lose track of their children. Vendors and scrap dealers who buy goods “no questions asked” help sustain markets where stolen items disappear without trace. Alone, these acts may seem small; together, they normalise carelessness and weaken social defences against serious crime.
Ibrahim’s tragedy therefore cannot be pinned on a single villain. It emerged from a web of failures – some loud, some silent – spread across institutions and individuals. Recognising this shared responsibility is not about diluting guilt; it is about creating the conditions for real change. Stronger oversight, better coordination between agencies and a renewed culture of civic responsibility and vigilance are essential if such tragedies are to be prevented rather than merely mourned.
Dr Shameel A Qadri
Dr Intikhab Ulfat
