Understatement: Outgoing interior minister claims low crime rate in capital

Figures given in the National Assembly conflict with statistics compiled by Islamabad Police.

ISLAMABAD:

In the final session of the National Assembly, Interior Minister Rehman Malik understated the ratio of crime in the capital, on Saturday, claiming that only 144 cases of murder, robbery and kidnapping were registered at police stations in the city circle in the past five years. According to the daily crime diary compiled by the Islamabad Police, the figures are far higher.

Malik claimed that 51 cases of murder, 90 cases of kidnapping and only four cases of robbery were registered in the jurisdiction of city circle. However the daily crime dairy issued by the Islamabad police shows the figures are higher than the claim of minister. According to the crime diary, 300 robberies, 120 kidnapping and 75 murders took place in the city circle in last five years. City circles comprises Aabpara and Kohsar, Secretariat and Bhara Kahu police stations. Replying to a question by PML-N MNA Najma Hameed, the minister claimed that 225 people were arrested for these offences while 20 were acquitted from the courts.

However sources in the police said the ratio of crime is fairly high in the city circle despite the fact that the majority of cases are not reported. In the first two months of 2013, 14 murders, 13 attempted  murders and 42 cases of robbery were registered with the police. According to police sources, 538 cases of robbery were reported in the city circle last year, while 124 murder cases were registered in 2010 alone. How is it possible that only 51 murder cases were registered in two police stations when 124 murder cases were registered in the capital in 2010, a police official asked.

Malik also said 50 complaints of obnoxious calls were registered in the city circle over the past five years, out of which six calls remain untraced, while 33 people were arrested.

Published in The Express Tribune, March 17^th, 2013.