Karachi - an unfriendly city for youth

Majority of victims of street crime classified as youth under 40

KARACHI:

Street crime in Karachi has claimed the lives of at least 75 people since January this year, with a majority of the victims classified as youth and under the age of 40.

One such victim, 19-year-old Sahil Hussain, now lives in constant fear. "My heartbeat has not been stable since I was robbed. The fear is a constant and I feel Karachi is not a livable city anymore."

Sahil was robbed a mere stone's throw away from his house in Bhitaiabad. "The robber was alone and there were two of us. I was on the phone and didn't realize where he appeared from," he narrated. "He seemed like an expert and ruthless mugger."

The university-going youth added that the robbery lasted less than a minute and he handed over his phone after a gun was pointed at him. He narrated to The Express Tribune that he has grown up in Karachi but never felt so fearful as he does nowadays. "I don't go out alone anymore."

Like most robbery victims in the city, Sahil did not go to the police station to report the incident. He believed that he had already lost his valuable phone and the police would not be able to recover it. "Going to the police station is another fear, so I decided that it was better to stay silent."

Ibrahim, a father of two young boys, has instructed his sons not to venture out of the house needlessly. "I even ask them not to go out during the day," he said as he lamented the current law and order situation in the city.

"Youth are generally aggressive, and they react to such incidents which can be a cause of harm to them. As a parent, I can not afford that."

He added that most of his friends have also instructed their young sons to avoid any resistance. "We ask them to stay at home or nearby. But we can not confine them forever. This city is not for the youth."

According to the police, apart from fatalities, at least 224 citizens have been injured in robbery incidents. The city's police reported that at least 9,091 mobile phones have been snatched along with 110 four-wheelers and 4,131 two-wheelers.

Details provided to The Express Tribune by Karachi Police state that 81 suspects have been killed during 592 encounters, while 630 were injured and 287 were arrested.

"For us, the police and muggers are the same," said Zeeshan who was recently stopped by personnel of the Shaheeb Force on Sunset Boulevard.

"They stopped us, and without any questions, put their hands in our pockets. Their attitude is inhuman. They behave and treat us in a manner as if we are criminals." He added that he and his friends were asked irrelevant questions. "I hate this city's police. Robbers just snatch our valuables, but the police insult us," added Zeeshan.

However, police personnel have their own justification for stopping motorcyclists. "One of them tried to avoid eye contact, which made us suspicious," said Altaf Hussain, a member of Shaheen Force responding to a query after he stopped two individuals.

"Most muggers are young, and there is no way for us to tell till we stop them."

When asked why law enforcers were not good to the youth, the police official said, "The youth are not good with us either". He recounted a number of recent incidents when robbers had injured or killed citizens at various points in the city. "The robbers are cruel".

As street crime has surged in the economic hub of Pakistan, the city's residents have developed different methods to deal with such incidents - the majority handing over their valuables without saying a single word.

"The robbers should be killed on the spot, not handed over to the police," a Karachi resident commented on a social media post in which two robbers were seen hitting a citizen with a pistol.

"If you want to live and don't want to hurt your family, don't resist," another citizen commented. Several meetings on Karachi's law and order have been held, but the surge in crime has not abated.