‘Karachi seeing marked improvement in law & order due to Rangers-led operation’

CRSS report says target killings have decreased
 from 110 per month last year to 48 a month this year

Karachi

Amid a tug of war between the security establishment and the Sindh government over the jurisdiction and policing powers of the Rangers, a recent quarterly report of an Islamabad-based security think tank shows a marked improvement in law and order in Karachi due to the ongoing Rangers-led operation against criminals in the city.

The report, prepared by the Centre for Research and Security Studies (CRSS), also states that there has been a significant improvement in the security situation in the entire country.

“Although the military operation [in tribal areas] is nearing conclusion, the operation in Karachi continues and may be further extended because of high-profile incidents of violence in the city,” says Muhammad Nafees, a Karachi-based security analyst who compiled the report.   

Launched in September 2013, the Karachi operation represents yet another dimension of the security crisis that Pakistan faces.

“In Karachi, there is a significant decrease in targeted killings on the basis of ethnicity, sect and political affiliation. But proscribed militant outfits have still been carrying out selected attacks, targeting soft targets, such as police personnel deputed to protect anti-polio medics and security officials,” Nafees says while talking to The News. 

Security situation in country

It is stated in the report that deaths from violence in Pakistan during the second quarter [April-June] of 2016 were slightly lower than the deaths recorded during the previous quarter.

A total of 788 casualties of violence (545 dead and 243 injured) occurred during that quarter. The overall figure shows that the Fata and Sindh regions, for the first time in the last three years, recorded a lower number of fatalities than Balochistan.

On the district level, Karachi recorded the highest number of fatalities from violence with 332 deaths during the second quarter, while North Waziristan with 309 and Khyber Agency with 156 in Fata were the other affected areas.

As many as 58 Pakistani militants, who fled to neighbouring provinces of Afghanistan because of the ongoing Operation Zarb-e-Azab, have also been targeted by drone attacks.

Security situation in Sindh

For two consecutive quarters, Sindh has recorded violence-related fatalities lower than Balochistan, the report observes.

As many as 139 persons lost their lives and 30 were injured in Sindh during the second quarter of the year. The 139 fatalities in three months are close to what this province recorded in one month during previous years.

A similar reduction is noticeable in Karachi as well. For the last three years, Karachi has been known for frequent target killings and other crimes, and the average number of fatalities per month during last year was around 100 persons.

During the first six months of this year, this average has come down to 48 persons per month – more than a 50 percent reduction in violence in Karachi.

A significant fall in violence was observed in other districts of the province as well.