Unsafe Karachi

Pakistan’s largest city has been ranked as the world’s second riskiest city for tourists with a rating of 93.12 out of 100 by a Forbes publication. Karachi was just behind Venezuela’s Caracas while Myanmar’s Yangon ranked third. According to the ranking, the city faced the highest risk in terms of personal security, encompassing threats from crime, violence, terrorism, natural disasters and economic instability. The country’s commercial hub also has the unenviable honour of having the second-lowest travel safety rating by the US State Department. This is not the first time the city has been included on such lists, it was named among the least safe cities in the world by the Economist Intelligence Unit in 2017.

Karachi is a melting pot of cultures, architecture and people. The city has great potential for promoting tourism as Pakistan’s largest city, but the authorities have neglected this vital avenue of revenue generation and promoting a positive image. While the focus of promoting tourism has centred around Pakistan’s northern areas, often with the help of paid foreign bloggers, the urban landscape of Karachi offers its own unique blend of attractions. However, the authorities need to rein in rampant street crime across the metropolis. There is an urgent need for a comprehensive policy to address the many issues plaguing the city. Neglecting economic inequality and gun control measures in crime prevention policies will lead to ineffective results. If the city is to see any significant amount of tourism, the crumbling infrastructure and hospitality sector would also require attention from the government. A safe, friendly and hospitable environment needs to be created before the port city can exit such lists. The stakeholders of Karachi need to step forward to better the city and learn lessons from other global metropolitan areas as regards civic development and policing.