Karachi returning to peace

ISLAMABAD: The residents of Karachi have finally taken a sigh of relief with the marked decrease in the incidents of target killing, extortion, kidnap for ransom and car snatching during the first seven months of this year, official data shows.
Talking to ‘The News’ the residents of Karachi have also confirmed the significant improvement in law and order situation in the metropolitan after the law enforcement agencies launched an operation agencies against criminal elements.
The data collected by the Citizen Police Liaison Committee (CPLC) shows that incidents of killing have decreased by around 60 percent during the first seven months of 2015 as compared to the killings during the same period of the last year.
Similarly 83 percent decrease has been witnessed in the incidents of kidnap-for-ransom and around 80 percent decrease in bank robberies.
In the same period 70 percent decrease has been noted in extortion cases while 50 percent less cases of car snatching have been reported.
“We are now living a relatively peaceful life that we did not imagine just one year ago,” Faraz Ahmad, a resident of North Nazimabad told ‘The News.’
He said last year mobile snatching and robberies were common incidents at traffic congestions particularly in Patel Para road, Liaqatabad, Baloch Colony on Shahrah-e-Faisal and Sadar areas.
“This is not the case now. I can now even put my mobile phone on my car’s dash board without fear that it will be spotted by a criminal who will snatch it on gun point during traffic jams,” he said adding that incidents of mobile snatching were now a rare phenomenon in the city where people used to avoid talking on phone on the roads for fear of robberies.
Another resident, Imdad Chandio, said that the crime rate had decreased to an incredible level.
“During Ramazan, almost every second citizen would get receipts for forcible Fitra collections but this year only a few people have complained about it,” Imdad said.
He said, “The city is changing into a lively and happy place which is a pleasant surprise for the residents.”
According to data shared by the CPLC Chief Zubair Habib, as many as 447 cases of killings including target killing were reported during first seven months of 2015 as compared to 1,111 such cases during the corresponding period of 2014.
CPLC data shows that kidnap for ransom cases have also decreased to only 14 this year while last year 82 such cases were reported in the period between January and July.
Only three kidnapping cases were reported by CPLC since April this year and not a single case was reported in July and April 2015.
“This is a rare phenomenon in Karachi. I have not seen this phenomenon during last 20 years where a whole month has passed without a single incident of kidnapping,” says the CPLC chief.
The CPLC data shows that 192 extortion (bhatta) cases were reported during first seven months of this year which is 70 percent decrease from last year which witnessed 607 such cases during the same period.
July which was also the Islamic month of Ramazan witnessed a great difference in incidents of extortion.
During last Ramazan, 134 cases of extortion were reported by CPLC but this year the number decreased to only 18.
“This shows how forcible Fitra collections have decreased this year,” Zubair Habib explained.
He said this year the residents of Karachi observed the most peaceful Ramazan as the markets remained crowded with customers who were encouraged by the new sense of security.
“During the Eid festival very few aerial firing cases were reported and display of weapons was nominal as
compared to last year,” he added.
The data shows that incidents of bank robberies also decreased to only three this year as compared to 14 such incidents during last year.
The crime of car snatching also witnessed a marked decrease as 1,291 such cases were reported till July this year as compared to 2,308 incidents of car-snatching
during the same period last year.
The CPLC chief said the data on mobile snatching was not available but every resident of Karachi had noticed a huge difference.
“Previously even I was scared of talking on phone while in public places but now it has changed,” he said.
He said there was no panic situation in Karachi and the people’s perception about the law and order in the city was changing positively.