A very common saying that a member of every family living in this moth ridden city is a victim of street crime. We all have our stories, we all have given our cell phones to snatchers and now we keep a separate cheap cell phone that is kept for the sole purpose of tendering it to someone who asks for it, of course he has to fulfill the eligibility by showing us a gun.
The apathy of the law enforcement agencies (LEAs) towards the people of Karachi forced us to develop mechanisms for our security. A very small percentage amongst us can afford private guards, rest are all on the mercy of bad luck. Entire Pakistan is aware of the situation in Karachi, blood is shed just for a cell phone, and life is wasted just to snatch a car.
We closed our lanes with barricades so that we can at least take a post dinner walk on our own street with safety. The residents of a lane in purely residential area contribute on a monthly basis to arrange for barricades and a Chokidar. This apparatus was not enough for security, but provided the people with the sense of it.
The barricade and Guard system in Karachi is mostly present in areas where middle and lower middle income population of the city resides. Residential areas where real estate it expensive does not employ this system may be because they can afford security on their own and they don’t need a ‘Muhalla committee to pitch in for it.
The deadline given by the DG Rangers Sindh is expired and most of the roads that were closed in upscale areas of the city are still closed, but the middle class once again ratted out. Barriers are voluntarily removed from gulshan-e-Iqbal , Aziz abad, F.B Area, Nazim Ababad and gulistan e johar. The middle class and lower middle class population of these areas are now once again at the mercy of the criminal elements present in surrounding Goths and Kachhi Abadis.
The efforts by the LEAs and rangers restore law and order in Karachi would earn praise if they are based on equality. People of Karachi have suffered a lot. They have been mugged, beaten, robbed and murdered. For us, it is not easy to trust the rangers and remove our security apparatus without any guarantee.
It is an open secret in Karachi that criminal elements are supported by the corrupt and highly politicize police of the city and that is why people of karachi have no faith in the policing system. Besides there is no logic in this appeal by DG rangers to remove the barricades from residential areas. These barriers are not enough to stop the rangers from conducting an operation but they provide sufficient sense of security to the residents living within them.
If DG Rangers is so serious in providing security to the city, then why not he leads by example. why not he removes security from his residence and office? What about IG sind and police? What about cantonment areas which are for sale to the ordinary public? What about Askaris, PAF society and Naval colony? Will the Rangers remove barriers from these locations as well? If not, then why ask the ordinary citizens to become an easy prey for the street thugs.
We wait for the Rangers to remove the barriers from Bilawal house and from all the places that matter, not only the poor.
Photo Credit: Fayyaz Ahmed Qureshi
