Crime in Karachi

Despite presence of Pakistan Rangers, street crimes saw an uptick in the country’s commercial capital during 2018

Despite the presence of Pakistan Rangers, street crimes saw an uptick in the country’s commercial capital during 2018. This is not to say that the paramilitary force has been ineffective, as most violent and more ‘serious’ crimes have seen declines. A series of high-profile blips have, however, still left the average Karachiite with cause for pause.

More than 15,000 cell phones have been snatched this year, up around five per cent from 2017. Car and motorcycle thefts decreased nominally over the same time period. At the same time, there were three bombings this year, compared to none the year before. The police also claim that target killings have decreased significantly, but in this very week, we have seen at least one egregious attack which raises obvious doubts about the claim.

The incident in which former MQM MNA and restaurateur Ali Raza Abidi was gunned down also illustrates the need for an anti-arms drive, something that no government seems to even consider. Meanwhile, the attack on the Chinese Consulate was a reminder that domestic terrorism is still alive and well, and the clean slate in 2017 was apparently just a matter of luck. The police continue to harp on about how these attacks were planned or funded abroad while deflecting from what went wrong. But even this approach begs the question: if the police are so well-informed about where the planning and financing were from, why could they not stop the attacks?

There has also been talk of new policing strategies, such as the nearly 1,000-strong counterterrorism force which has been trained by the army, and separately, a social media monitoring cell. The new additions to the city’s counterterrorism department should, in theory, help to better secure the streets, but that would only be if they are utilised properly. Similarly, it remains to be seen whether censorship or physical security of citizens will be the primary mandate of the social media cell.