Sindh govt, police slammed over spiralling street crime incidents in Karachi

Sindh Chief Minister Syed Murad Ali Shah is not capable of controlling street crime and tackling criminals in Karachi, said Khurrum Sher Zaman, the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf’s (PTI) parliamentary party leader in the provincial assembly, on Saturday.

Zaman said in a statement that 81,000 incidents of street crime were reported in the city over the past 11 months. He said that 518 people have been killed or severely injured during street crime this year.

He also said that vehicle thefts and mobile phone snatching continues unabated in the city. He added that 52,000 motorbikes and 2,000 other vehicles were stolen or snatched, while 26,400 people were deprived of their phones.

The PTI leader said that these incidents of street crime and the related violence are appalling, and that they expose the ineffectiveness of the CM, the provincial police chief and the Karachi capital city police officer.

He said that if the Karachi police cannot carry out their basic responsibility to protect the lives and properties of the residents of the city, a new force comprising the people that live here must be assembled.

He demanded an update on the status of the Safe City project from both the Sindh government and provincial police chief Ghulam Nabi Memon.

“If the police can’t control street criminals, additional powers should be given to the Rangers for dealing with street crime cases because these criminals get released from police stations.”

Zaman said he feels that a metropolitan police model should be implemented in Karachi, with the police being answerable to the city’s mayor, adding that locals should be recruited in the force.

He again called for the CM to relinquish the home minister portfolio because, he said, the province deserves a full-time one. The law and order situation in Karachi would be better if the CM and the entire Sindh government are focused on governance rather than PTI-bashing, he concluded.

JI holds protests

The Jamaat-e-Islami’s Karachi chapter held dozens of protests to observe a black day against the rising lawlessness and skyrocketing street crime incidents in Karachi, demanding justice for Bilal Nasir, the young student who was recently gunned down outside the NED University trying to fight off street criminals.

The protests were held outside the District Korangi SSP’s office, at the Hyderi Market, on Burnes Road, at the Lea Market, outside the District Orangi SSP’s office, at Water Pump Chowrangi and at other prominent spots in the city.

JI city chief Engr Hafiz Naeemur Rehman held a press conference earlier in the day to censure the Karachi police chief for failing to curb street crime. He advised the city’s residents to peacefully hand over their valuables to muggers when they are in that situation.

He demanded that the government restructure the city police, increasing the number of locals recruited in the department to 80 per cent. He also demanded purging the police department of black sheep to restore peace and maintain law and order in the city.

He said crimes in Karachi have increased by 12 per cent from last year. He added that the Sindh police have lost their credibility among the locals, resulting in a large number of victims of crimes not even filing police complaints.

Rehman said that it is a clear fact that criminals cannot operate in a mega city with such impunity without the involvement of corrupt police officials.

He said the Karachi police chief had rebuffed the reports of massive street crime incidents in the city to save face, adding that now he was advising people to hand over their valuables to muggers without resistance.

The JI leader said that instead of reaching the point where he is giving people such advise, the city police chief should have focused on his duty to end street crime.

He accused the Pakistan Peoples Party’s (PPP) Sindh government of recruiting policemen on political basis for their own gain and corruption. He said recruitment for police deployment in Karachi should be carried out from within the city purely on merit.

Talking about the overall situation in the city, he claimed that the PPP and the Muttahida Qaumi Movement have joined hands against the local government elections to keep people deprived of their due rights. However, he said, the people would show both parties the door on January 15.

‘Good plan needed’

Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam-Fazl (JUI-F) Sindh spokesman Maulana Sami-ul-Haq Swati said street criminals are killing innocent citizens of Karachi on a daily basis, but there is still no law enforcement agency to control them. Criminals have complete impunity to commit street crime whenever they want.

Swati said that due to the flawed prosecution system, habitual criminals involved in robberies do not get severe punishment from the court. This is why criminals are sure that they can escape from the grip of the law even after committing crimes, he said.

He also said that the increasing street crimes in Karachi are very alarming for every resident. Looters are rampant across Sindh, he added. “The writ of the provincial government is nowhere. The killing of young people trying to resist mugging attempts is a tragedy.”

The JUI-F leader demanded that street crime must be stopped immediately, saying that an effective strategy should be devised to prevent crimes in the city. He also demanded increasing police patrol and providing people the right to defend themselves.