Reporting crime: Karachi AIG asks residents to speak up

Hayat says money is at the centre of everything that is wrong with the city.

KARACHI: The residents of Karachi have to come forward, speak against the wrong and help each other, Karachi additional IG Shahid Hayat said on Thursday.

He was addressing a gathering in the city and said that death is inevitable and everyone should speak the truth without thinking about the consequences.

“If people don’t want to report crime and still expect things to improve, then that is not possible,” he said, adding that a complainant was necessary to initiate inquiry.

Shedding light on problems faced by Karachi, Hayat said money was at the centre of everything that was wrong with the city.

“Some pay extortion willingly, while others are forced to,” he said, adding that multiple groups are involved in crimes and they all try to outdo each other.

He went on to say that militancy was the main way of politics in the city.

Speaking about the recent surge in killings of police officers, Hayat said the personnel are getting killed because they are chasing criminals. He further said that his force reduced murders in the city by 40% in the first few months since he took charge.

He, however, added that none of the arrested suspects has been tried. "The way our judicial system works should be considered when commenting on city’s security situation," Hayat said.

Referring to the Wali Babar case, Hayat said the hearings have been adjourned five times despite the court labelling it as a test case.