Defeating Kacha dacoits

Political leadership has every right to celebrate when the writ of the state is restored. But when it comes to Pakistan's riverine belt - long described as a "no-go area" — celebration must be tempered with vigilance. The claim that the katcha areas of Rahim Yar Khan and Rajanpur have been "100% cleared" of dacoits is a significant milestone. The real question, however, is not whether an operation has ended - but whether the problem has.

Punjab Chief Minister Maryam Namaz had outlined a three-phase operation integrating ground offensives with aerial surveillance, cordoning of criminal strongholds and finally a surrender window that saw over 500 criminals lay down arms. The use of drones and quadcopters along with the deployment of 1,700 personnel, armoured carriers and coordinated intelligence asset reflects a long overdue technological leap in policing riverine crime. Yet history compels caution. The katcha belt has been cleared before but revives because of entrenched socio-economic deprivation and tribal complicities.

The tri-border confluence of Punjab, Sindh and Balochistan has always provided tactical depth to riverine gangs. It is therefore encouraging that Sindh Police and the provincial government cooperated in this latest operation. In Sindh's own riverine crackdown, over 100 encounters have taken place. But the persistence of banditry remains a destabilising variable. When squeezed in one district, they metastasise in another. The larger question, therefore, is institutional continuity. How do we ensure that surrendered criminals are prosecuted transparently? That weapons recovered are not replaced through trafficking networks?

Operations restore territory but governance sustains it. What is required now is a permanent joint riverine command structure across Punjab and Sindh through shared intelligence databases. This will ensure that no new dens emerge in the reeds. If the writ of the state has indeed returned, it must now stay through collective, sustained action across provinces.