Extortion capital?

The business community of Karachi is desperately crying for help, having been let down by politicians and law enforcement alike. Builders and property developers are threatening to shut down the city next month if the government does not take meaningful action against extortionists behind the city's 'bhatta culture'. They even went as far as naming several people who, according to them, are directly or indirectly running the criminal networks fleecing billions from wealthy businessmen in the country's biggest city and largest revenue generator.

Extortionists are operating with terrifying impunity, brazenly targeting people for tens of millions of rupees via calls from Dubai and Iran. Some of the victims claimed their employees were shot dead on not complying with the extortion demands; and afterwards, they received text messages warning them that those incidents were only "trailers" for what could happen.

And the extortionists often do not even try to hide their crimes, with some reportedly openly providing bank details for traceable transfers. Yet, no cases are registered against them. Coming at a time when the PPP is expressing outrage at a fictional Bollywood film that portrays a connection between the party and Karachi's gangs, it will be interesting how the very real failure of provincial and city leaders to take any action against extortion networks would be painted as "malicious distortion", rather than the reality that corruption and incompetence are hitting the city at its core, several years after the gangs were supposedly decommissioned after a series of violent operations.

We must also note that because of the raw amount of information available about the ringleaders and their finances, resolving the problem may not require an operation, or even a single bullet to be fired. Proper enforcement of financial laws and international agreements could freeze accounts and any assets associated with those accounts, forcing criminal elements into the open, whether in Pakistan or the Middle Eastern countries where they supposedly hold property and other fixed assets worth billions.