Robbed and murdered

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Karachi is grappling with an alarming surge in violent street crimes, with citizens paying the ultimate price for resisting robberies. Since January 2025, at least 47 people have been killed in such incidents, a figure that starkly underscores the city's deteriorating law and order situation. While the police dispute that number — which was compiled by NGOs — their own data shows 33 fatalities, which is only slightly better.

The human cost of this crisis is harrowing. In May alone, a 10-year-old died in crossfire during a robbery in Landhi, and an 18-year-old was shot dead in Korangi's Zaman Town. In another incident, two young men were shot dead for resisting an attempt to steal their motorcycle.

Stories such as these are not uncommon in the world's megacities, but the raw number of such incidents makes Karachi stand out. The city's crime rate dwarfs many other megacities, and this is only made worse by the fact that many Karachiites treat street crimes as a fact of life and have so little confidence in the police's ability to deliver justice that they don't even report robberies.

To law enforcement's credit, citizens are 'only' advised to be cautious while commuting, shopping, or walking home, and to "avoid resistance" during robberies. Meanwhile, the judiciary remains unable to handle the sheer number of cases that are filed, and due to the backlog, even in 'open-and-shut cases', accused criminals are often able to easily secure bail.

Economic desperation and organised crime further fuel the crisis. Despite being the country's economic capital, Karachi has failed to provide enough jobs, housing and other services for its existing residents, meaning the size of the economic underclass continues to grow. And though there are other factors, Karachi's descent into lawlessness was primarily due to failures of governance at the political and bureaucratic levels. While policing is important, the only long-term solution is in the hands of legislators and policymakers.