Karachi’s improving law and order situation, facts and figures

KARACHI: Once stands at number six in a list of ‘world’s most dangerous cities’ the financial capital and major city of the country is now considered as relatively peaceful city and included in the list of safe cities due to the role and sacrifices of Law Enforcing Agencies (LEAs) specially the main agency Police in maintaining law and order in the City.

In a recent ‘safe cities index’ of world’s 60 cities issued by ‘Intelligence Unit’ of The Economist though Karachi ranked at low but its matter of satisfaction for Pakistanis that City included in the List, and its perception of world’s top dangerous city relatively going to be ended.

Formerly known as the city of lights, Karachi, turned in to the city of darkness and death in late-eighties, early nineties, mid-nineties, late nineties up to 2010 when city witnesses many types of riots, terrorism, bomb blasts, mass killings and high level criminal activities mostly on the basis of race, sect, language and religious; criminal elements and different mafias and gangs also took the advantage of the derogating situation and worst law and order condition.

In 2011 former chief justice, Iftikhar Chaudhry, had taken suo-moto after a rise in the killings and finally on September 5, 2013, ‘Karachi Targeted Action,’ was launched after a special meeting of the federal cabinet

Facts figures suggested that this act of ‘Karachi targeted Action’ has largely restored law and order to the city, with target killings, kidnappings for ransom, incidents of extortion and land grabbing reported to have decreased by up to 80 percent.

Keeping a vigilant eye upon the official figures of Sindh Police only in 2014 some 1,823 persons killed in different crimes and personal enmity, 189 killed in target killings, 34 bomb blasts, 110 kidnapping for ransom and 423 incidents of extortion were reported; in 2015 number reduced relatively and the number of killings reached at 995 in ordinary crimes and personal enmity, 159 target killings, 7 bomb blasts, 35 kidnaped for ransom and 233 incidents of extortion were reported.

In the year 2017 some 583 killings in ordinary crimes, 23 target killings and only 17 incidents of kidnaping for ransom reported in same year no bomb blast occurred and jumping to current year where till date 268 killings of ordinary incidents, 10 target killings, 8 incidents of kidnaping for ransom and 63 incidents of extortion has been reported till date.

Police’s official figures suggested that from September 5, 2013, to June 6, 2019, total 2,437 miscreants killed in Police encounters, including 5,828 encounters held between miscreants and Police, 3861 gangs busted, 1,009 terrorists, 40 kidnappers, 12 extortionists, 1,376 dacoits killed.

In the same time 202,025 criminals were arrested. Some 3,560 murderers arrested, 1,987 terrorists, 186 kidnappers, 836 extortionists, 7,401 dacoits, 33,026 arrested keeping illegal weapon, 32,048 arrested in narcotics ordinance, 94,458 arrested in petty crimes. 2,434 proclaimed offenders arrested and 26,095 absconders arrested.

In the meantime some 41,917 illegal arms were recovered, including 73 Light Machine Guns (LMGs), 906 Kalashnikovs, 39,519 pistols, 826 rifles, 593 short guns repeaters; 619 explosive material, 9 Improvised Explosive Devices (IEDs), 23 suicide jackets, 807 bombs (hand grenades) were seized.

The cost for the restoring peace in the city was paid by police and other law enforcing agencies as according to the official figures of Sindh Police 638 Police officials sacrificed their lives in the line of their duties, 287 in target killings, and 87 in during encounters and 264 during the performing duties in Karachi. It is pertinent to mention here that London, a city of 7,387,868 (half that of Karachi) relatively law-abiding citizens has a police strength of 47,874, a ratio of 1,155. Delhi with a population of 14,000,000 has a police force of 58,000, a ratio of 1,241. Lahore with its 10,000,000 has a force of 30,946, a ratio of 1323 and Karachi with estimated population 18,000,000 have a force of 34,212, a ratio of 1,526.

Ziaur Rehman, a researcher who authored ‘Karachi in Turmoil’ mapping violent trends in the city, said that before Karachi operation, the city experienced violence from various non-state actors, including militant wings of ethno-political parties, criminal gangs, Taliban groups and sectarian outfits.

However, normalcy has been returned in the city after law enforcement agencies’ crackdown weakened these groups, he said. Since September 2013, the city did not witness any single of forced strike while between January 2012 and September 2013, the city experienced more than 40 forced strikes. Social activist Manzoor Solangi said that no doubt Karachi was the city where anyone can live who did not any option to leave this city; all the common persons, businessmen and from other walks of life left the city and country which were able to leave due to untoward situation of metropolitan.

“No doubt Law Enforcers done a great job in restoration of peace in city,” concluded Mr Solangi. Spokesman Sindh Police Suhail Jokhio said that Police officials sacrifice their lives only to save city’s peace.

Mr Jaokhio added that in the supervision of Inspector General of Police Syed Kaleem Imam, Karachi Police Chief Dr Amir Shiekh and their teams, former IG AD khowaja, former Karachi Police Chief Mushtaq Mahar and their teams did a great work for the maintaining of law and order with the active cooperation of other law enforcing agencies specially Rangers and intelligence agencies.

Mr Jokhio said that Police department have a good assistance of citizens of Karachi in maintaining of peace and the aim of Department to make city crime free and safest city of the world.