Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf (PTI) Karachi spokesperson and Karachi Division Information Secretary Fauzia Siddiqui today expressed serious concern over the worsening law and order situation in the metropolis, saying the surge in street crime, robberies, kidnappings for ransom and extortion has created an atmosphere of fear among residents.
In a statement issued on Monday, Siddiqui said Karachi, a city of more than 30 million people, appeared to be facing renewed attempts to destabilise public order, adding that such elements must be dealt with firmly. She said Karachi’s peace and stability were directly linked to Pakistan’s economy, stressing that the country’s commercial hub could not be allowed to become insecure. “When Karachi prospers, Pakistan prospers,” she said, adding that there could be no compromise on the city’s security.
The PTI leader said reports of traders, industrialists and builders receiving extortion slips were a matter of grave concern for law enforcement agencies. Such incidents, she added, were undermining investor confidence and disrupting commercial activity in the country’s financial centre.
Calling for immediate action, Fauzia Siddiqui urged the authorities to launch an indiscriminate, intelligence-based crackdown against extortionists and other criminal networks. She also called for increased police patrolling and the adoption of a comprehensive and sustainable strategy to curb street crime.
She appealed to the Inspector General of Police, Sindh to take immediate notice of the deteriorating situation and implement emergency measures to restore law and order across the city.
Siddiqui said safeguarding the lives and property of citizens is the state’s foremost constitutional responsibility, but regretted that Karachi’s residents were living under constant fear. She described the increasing incidents of kidnappings for ransom, mobile phone snatching and vehicle theft as deeply alarming, and urged the authorities to end any political patronage allegedly extended to criminal elements.
She further said that traders, industrialists and ordinary citizens increasingly felt unsafe, warning that investment, trade and employment could not flourish without lasting peace and security. She called on the Sindh government to fulfil its constitutional responsibility of protecting citizens and to take practical steps to make Karachi a peaceful, secure and crime-free city.