The barriers on a street in Nazimabad No 4 were removed and placed along the street in compliance with the Rangers’ deadline. PHOTO: AYSHA SALEEM/EXPRESS
KARACHI:
As the deadline to remove street barriers came to an end on Monday midnight, the residents of various neighbourhoods in Karachi felt more vulnerable to street criminals.
Some were upset about the barriers that were recently removed from their neighbourhood. “If the [law enforcers] can have protection, why can’t we?” questioned resident Hilal, referring to several installations of law enforcement agencies that have placed barriers on main roads and restricted access to pedestrians. “Who will save us from street criminals and the opportunists who steal our car parts in the middle of the night?”
The Rangers’ deadline for the removal of barriers across the city ended at midnight on Monday. A day later, most of the barriers in the city had been removed. Even the rods erected on streets to stop cars from entering were left in a vertical position. There was almost nowhere that wasn’t freely accessible in Karachi. Almost.
Rangers director-general Maj General Bilal Akbar had appealed to the citizens to remove barriers erected in their neighbourhoods within 72 hours. “This is not only creating inconvenience to the people, it is also causing difficulty to the LEAs in conducting the operation.” In Karachi, the highest number of barriers is found in Gulshan-e-Iqbal, Gulistan-e-Jauhar, North Nazimabad, Nazimabad and FB Area.
Nasir, a resident of Nazimabad No. 4, whose neighbours had pitched in to erect a barrier worth Rs15,000, said the law enforcement agencies should come up with a proper plan for the security of citizens if they wish to remove the barriers. “The police should give us an alternative. They should take up the responsibility of providing us security as we have removed the barriers.”
The residents claimed they had erected the barriers to stop unauthorised persons from coming into the areas, particularly street criminals and drug addicts who have made it a business of stealing of car stereos. And for mothers, such as Maria Aman, the barriers gave her a sense of security as her children played on the street. “Children were able to play safely with no vehicles coming on the streets and no criminals coming into the area.”
In this situation, the police call for citizens to manage their own security to the best of their ability. Districts Central and West DIG Capt Tahir Naveed said the police will advise and guide citizens on alternative security measures, such as hiring private guards and installing CCTV systems in the neighbourhood. “The barriers were an obstacle for innocent citizens who were denied access into these areas,” he reasoned.
Meanwhile, Sindh IG Ghulam Haider Jamali excused on Tuesday for the barricades around ‘sensitive’ installations, such as Bilawal House and Pervez Musharraf’s residence, citing security threats.
Muttahida Qaumi Movement’s (MQM) Haider Abbas Rizvi raised his eyebrows at this explanation. He said there should be one and equal policy for everyone. “We removed the barriers around Nine Zero voluntarily and our parliamentarians have told the people in their respective areas to remove the barriers too.”
Capt Naveed was, however, of the opinion that if there were threats to Nine Zero, only the house should be made secure and no nuisance should be caused to others living in the locality. “Whether it is 10 Downing Street, or Nine Zero, no one is above the law.”
Published in The Express Tribune, March 25th, 2015.
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