That Karachi is the country's economic hub is a fact that does not require elucidation. The decline of Karachi's economic prosperity, the violent breakdown of law and order, increasing gang and sectarian violence and political turf wars are therefore areas of national concern. Given this, Prime Minister (PM) Nawaz Sharif's meeting with Sindh police officials on Monday was long overdue. Beginning in September 2013, the PM ordered a police and Rangers operation in Karachi aimed at cracking down on violent criminals. However, the success of this operation so far is debatable. While police claim to have arrested as many as 15,000 people, it is unknown how many are currently being detained or face trial. Ground realities belie any optimism. 2013 saw over 40,000 crimes reported, including 2,715 murders. Only two days ago, a dozen people were injured in a gunfight near SITE, a doctor was murdered allegedly for having a Shia-sounding name, and four mutilated bodies turned up in a sewer. Last month, armed gangs in Lyari attacked each other with grenades and rockets, killing 15 people in the crossfire. Despite this overt criminality, reports put the conviction rate for murders and violent crime at just 23 percent. On the other hand, a 2011 report from the Human Rights Commission of Pakistan put that number at just 10 percent. This is the trend in the city, where police are consistently undermined in their efforts to apprehend criminals. Leaving aside terrorism, organised crime and political turf-wars are the source of Karachi's instability, and both are closely linked.
The PM should note that Karachi's violence is complex and will not end by simply asking police to round up criminals. In many cases, the culprits are known but arresting and convicting them is impossible because of their political connections. Witnesses fear reprisals for giving testimony and police officials fear they could be killed for doing their job; 79 have already been killed during the current operation. The police themselves are often accused of corruption and judges are unwilling to admit their testimony as evidence for fear it might be tainted. Finding a solution requires getting Karachi's political parties to agree to control their armed supporters and stop dividing the city between them by giving them a real stake in a return to the rule of law. Only then will it be possible to begin a process of purging political parties of links to organised crime that are used to intimidate the police. The culture of impunity that has grown around criminals needs to end. The police must be empowered to go after organised crime, their training and pay must reflect that, and they must cease being used as a political tool by vested interests to persecute opponents. The slow genocide of Shias in the city means a red line must be drawn on sectarian killings and a no-tolerance policy adopted towards sectarian killers. Karachi’s survival requires these steps urgently. *
The PM should note that Karachi's violence is complex and will not end by simply asking police to round up criminals. In many cases, the culprits are known but arresting and convicting them is impossible because of their political connections. Witnesses fear reprisals for giving testimony and police officials fear they could be killed for doing their job; 79 have already been killed during the current operation. The police themselves are often accused of corruption and judges are unwilling to admit their testimony as evidence for fear it might be tainted. Finding a solution requires getting Karachi's political parties to agree to control their armed supporters and stop dividing the city between them by giving them a real stake in a return to the rule of law. Only then will it be possible to begin a process of purging political parties of links to organised crime that are used to intimidate the police. The culture of impunity that has grown around criminals needs to end. The police must be empowered to go after organised crime, their training and pay must reflect that, and they must cease being used as a political tool by vested interests to persecute opponents. The slow genocide of Shias in the city means a red line must be drawn on sectarian killings and a no-tolerance policy adopted towards sectarian killers. Karachi’s survival requires these steps urgently. *
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