MQM-P raises concern over rise in extortion, street crime in city

Raising concern over the alarming increase in the menace of street crime and extortion in Karachi, leaders of the Muttahida Qaumi Movement-Pakistan’s (MQM-P) leaders on Friday said police had been harassing the residents and traders in the name of Covid-19-related restrictions instead of providing them security.

Addressing a press conference at the party’s office, MQM-P leader Senator Faisal Subzwari said cases of extortion were on the rise in Karachi mainly because police in the city were non-local.

“Billions of rupees have been spent in the name of the Safe City project but despite it, street crimes are rampant in the city,” said Subzwari. “Even women leaving their homes are not spared from the street criminals,” he said, adding that instead of dealing with criminals, the police force had been harassing the youth, workers, and traders in the name of lockdown, increasing the suffering of the residents of the city. “After paying bribes, shops are allowed to open,” he alleged.

The MQM-P leader demanded of the chief minister to take notice of the rise in street crime and extortion in the city. Former mayor and MQM-P Senior Deputy Convener Wasim Akhar said Karachi had been plagued by problems for the past several years and the federal and provincial governments had failed to address its issues.

“The city's infrastructure is in ruins and the people are worried. The public problems are getting worse with each passing day and there is no solution,” he said.