Pakistan

US magazine terms Karachi 'most dangerous megacity' in the world

Reports city has a homicide rate over 25 percent higher than any other major city.

Web Desk September 08, 2013 Less than a minute read

quot from 2000 to 2010 karachi 039 s population grew more than 80 percent that 039 s roughly equivalent to adding more than new york city 039 s entire population in just a decade photo file

"From 2000 to 2010, Karachi's population grew more than 80 percent. That's roughly equivalent to adding more than New York City's entire population in just a decade. PHOTO: FILE

A US magazine 'Foreign Policy' has termed Karachi "the most dangerous megacity" in the world.

In a piece on Karachi's role in the global trade of methamphetamine -- an illegal psychostimulant -- Foreign Policy cited a murder rate of 12.3 per 100, 000 residents, "some 25 percent higher than any other major city".

Commenting on the recent pace of change in Karachi, the report states:

"From 2000 to 2010, Karachi's population grew more than 80 percent. That's roughly equivalent to adding more than New York City's entire population in just a decade."

The article says that "gangs tied to political parties have long operated in the poorer parts of the city, running extortion rings and land-grab schemes", asserting that these factors have helped turn conditions in the city to one of the most fertile hotbeds for meth trade.