Bus attack sidetracks Rangers-police good work

ISLAMABAD: The Wednesday’s bus attack in Karachi is a serious setback to some good work done by the Rangers, police and other law enforcing agencies during the recent months in the province.
Sources said that Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif has been informed on Wednesday evening that serious crimes, including terrorism, target killings, kidnapping for ransom, extortion and dacoity, decreased. A comparison of crime statistics of 1st January to 12th May, 2014, with the corresponding period in 2015 shows a clear improvement in all areas. For example, during Jan 1 to May 12, 2014, a total of 1,622 persons were murdered in the province, but this number has been reduced to 732 in 2015 (till May 12).
A total of 13 terrorist incidents happened in the province in this period in 2014. In 2015, these incidents reduced to five. There were 173 cases of extortions in the first four and half months of 2014 while in 2015 these reported cases are 82.
Total cases of kidnapping for ransom registered in the province during this period in 2014 were 31. This year the cases of kidnapping for ransom have been reduced to seven only. The incidents of dacoity/robbery were 1310 in 2014 and are 1002 in 2015.
Sindh police record shows that the provincial police alone killed 112 alleged terrorists, 53 target killers, 16 kidnappers and 237 dacoits/criminals till 12th May of this year. The arrested include 58 alleged terrorists, 54 target killers, 10 kidnappers and 3945 dacoits and other criminals.
The Sindh police claim that out of 418 alleged terrorists and criminals killed so far this year, the 112 most wanted terrorists include commanders and ring leaders of Al-Qaeda and TTP.It is said that during current month till 12th of May 2015, average murders reported in Karachi per day are two as against the average murders of 5.4 per day in May 2014. Since 1st January 2015, it is said, the average murders reported as 2.6 per day, while the average during first five months of 2014 was 7 per day.
During the 613 days of Ranger-police Karachi operation, the total killings reported are 2,745 as against 4,435 during 613 days before the initiation of the operation. Target killings cases reported during 613 days of operation are 320 as against 669 of the previous 613 days. Similar decline in the cases of kidnapping for ransom, dacoity and street crime is seen after the launch of the Rangers-police operation in Karachi.
While police is generally blamed for every act of terrorism, it is relevant to mention here that a total of 51 police sacrificed their lives in the line of their duty during the first four and half months of this year. The number of such martyred police officials in Karachi is 42 during 2015. In 2014 and 2013, a total of 183 and 207 police officials were killed respectively.
The Sindh police claims that during the last eight months several high profile terrorism cases have been worked out, including Abbas Town bomb blast case; Justice Maqbool Baqar case; murder of Perveen Rehman (Orangi pilot project); Karachi airport case; murder of advocate Mubarak Raza Kazmi; Zohra Shahid murder case; murder of Allama Khalid Mehmood Soomro,; killing of Prof Robina Khalid; murder of Prof Shakeel Oaj, killing of Sibte Hassan; Shikarpur Imam Bargah incident; Rangers mobile attack near Kati Pahari and murder of Dr Saleem Kharal.