Karachi operation — two years on

To ensure the operation continues to succeed, law-enforcement agencies must display total impartiality in all actions

According to the police chief of Karachi, tremendous progress has been made over the past two years in combating crime of all kinds in the city since the operation led by Rangers and the police began two years ago. Marking the anniversary of this day, the police chief said that there had been a 70 per cent reduction in crime as a result of the operation in which 272 police personnel and some 77 members of the Rangers have been killed. For the people of Karachi, the reduction in crime is of course a relief. Most citizens have welcomed this and praised the ongoing action in the metropolis. However, the point to be made is that security agencies cannot permanently stay in charge of law and order in Karachi. At one point or the other, the civilian administration will need to take charge of the situation. An operation on this scale can only be a short-term affair. In the longer run, the civilian administration, and especially the police, will need to play a more prominent role, which implies that what we need is de-politicisation of departments and institutions whose job it is to ensure peace and adherence to law.



It is also a fact that the operation has created some political disarray in the city. The law-enforcement agencies are not inaccurate when they point out that criminal mafias are closely tied in with political elements. Given the nature of politics in Karachi, we however, need to be cautious to avoid any impression of there being victimisation or deliberate targeting of particular political parties. To ensure the operation continues to succeed, the law-enforcement agencies must display total impartiality in all actions and make sure they cannot be accused of carrying out a deliberately designed agenda. Such suspicions, even if unjustified, would only worsen the existing situation in Karachi and add to the mistrust and allegations of various kinds which have already to some extent marred it. Avoiding this is especially important given the relative political balance in Karachi. Yet, law and order has to be maintained and it is a good omen that the law-enforcement agencies seem to succeeding on this count at the moment. At the same time, however, acts of violence, such as the massacre at Safoora Chowrangi, have also continued during the past year. It is critical that all such violence also ends in the country’s financial hub.

Published in The Express Tribune, September 8^th,  2015.

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