Knifeman unchained

Criminals love spreading a wave of fear among people. This helps them attacking the already soft target. The same pattern is now being implemented by the so-called knifeman who has been attacking random women in Karachi, including densely populated Gulshan-e-Iqbal and Gulistan-e-Jauhar. Although the feeling of fear is quite normal, what is even more important, especially for women, is to fight back.

Being a student of Karachi University, I have seen students skipping classes just because of the attacker. Parents too are afraid of sending their children to schools, colleges, universities or anywhere in the city, but sitting back is not a solution. Our fear will be an even lethal weapon of the striker. Women should know how to defend themselves if they found themselves in any untoward situation. They should carry a pepper spray can with them or have a sharp object. They should be vigilant and should avoid talking routes that are less travelled. Although the law-enforcement agencies have new leads in the case, there is still a dire need to come up with a comprehensive plan to resolve this issue.

Syeda Komal Hasan (Karachi)