Katcha highwaymen

An apparent uptick in abductions and other violent crimes in the katcha areas along the borders of Sindh, Punjab and Balochistan underscores the failure of federal and provincial governments to provide even the most basic protections to citizens. For decades, organised criminal gangs have turned the riverine katcha areas of Sindh and Punjab into lawless sanctuaries. Every few years, governments of the day will make efforts to actually police the areas — such as a successful disarmament drive earlier this year — but these efforts are never sustained, rendering them meaningless. Gangs quickly rearm and return to their violent ways, creating new security crises along critical highways and other roads as they rob, kidnap and kill.

The daring or desperate travellers who are willing to opt for routes that go through the katcha areas should legitimately expect questions from loved ones over why they are willing to gamble on their future. Meanwhile, the gangs are also strangulating trade on some of the country's most economically important routes. This has a profound economic cost as well — transportation time and costs rise, deliveries are missed, and goods are stolen. By one measure, the state's inability to secure the roads is effectively a destructive tax on the national economy that also actively discourages movement and investment.

If the gangs are ever to be properly addressed, we cannot rely on reactive policing, such as the courageous hostage rescue operation recently conducted in Ghotki. Lasting peace requires a unified national strategy that combines seamless cross-province policing with genuine development in the neglected katcha region. Building roads, schools and economic alternatives will reduce the ability of criminal gangs to recruit new members. In the interim, improving patrolling and using technology to keep highways safe should be top priorities. Even ensuring safe commerce through the area will lead to increased economic opportunities, which will help offset the appeal of crime.