Falconer
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- Aug 31, 2008
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We expected better from a popularly elected government that had promised to ease the misery of the people. Its predecessor was the product of a military dictators tailored democracy in which government officials were answerable only to one man.
The current administration, in sharp contrast, can and will be held accountable by the Pakistani public. Those who have been at the helm now for well over two years are guilty of inaction on several fronts and blunders on others. Their failures are many but the focus here will be on the increasing lawlessness in Karachi and other parts of Sindh. Constant fear is not the stuff of democracy and it is time our rulers went beyond words and took genuine steps to help the people of Sindh who are being terrorised by a rising crime wave and diverse forms of violence.
Karachi, for instance, has been in the grip of targeted killings for several months and the situation is particularly tense as we speak. Sectarian hatred is on the boil and has claimed several lives in the last few days. Doctors with no clear political affiliations have been gunned down, possibly on sectarian grounds. Ethnic and political violence is also rife while the Lyari gang war seems unstoppable. At the same time the people must cope with kidnappings for ransom, dacoities at their homes and hold-ups in the streets. The interior of the province is no stranger to violent crime either. Take the extreme case of district Dadus Borari village, which is a virtual no-go area. Armed robbers call the shots there, man entry points and kill people who dont pay up. It is said that hundreds of girls have decided to stop going to school for fear of these thugs.
Where is the Sindh government in all this? It cannot pass the buck to the police because the administration is, after all, responsible for the performance of its law-enforcers. Why cant known criminal gangs that operate freely be hauled in and booked once and for all? Many believe that the answer lies in the patronage extended to criminal elements by some politicians or other local influentials, including members of the police. Simply increasing the budget of the police force, as has been done this year, will not do the trick. Throwing money at the problem wont deliver if the system is faulty. Our officials must change their ways and tackle root causes. Perhaps the biggest danger here is that prolonged public disillusionment may not necessarily usher in a new chapter in democracy. People deserve change and they want it now.
The current administration, in sharp contrast, can and will be held accountable by the Pakistani public. Those who have been at the helm now for well over two years are guilty of inaction on several fronts and blunders on others. Their failures are many but the focus here will be on the increasing lawlessness in Karachi and other parts of Sindh. Constant fear is not the stuff of democracy and it is time our rulers went beyond words and took genuine steps to help the people of Sindh who are being terrorised by a rising crime wave and diverse forms of violence.
Karachi, for instance, has been in the grip of targeted killings for several months and the situation is particularly tense as we speak. Sectarian hatred is on the boil and has claimed several lives in the last few days. Doctors with no clear political affiliations have been gunned down, possibly on sectarian grounds. Ethnic and political violence is also rife while the Lyari gang war seems unstoppable. At the same time the people must cope with kidnappings for ransom, dacoities at their homes and hold-ups in the streets. The interior of the province is no stranger to violent crime either. Take the extreme case of district Dadus Borari village, which is a virtual no-go area. Armed robbers call the shots there, man entry points and kill people who dont pay up. It is said that hundreds of girls have decided to stop going to school for fear of these thugs.
Where is the Sindh government in all this? It cannot pass the buck to the police because the administration is, after all, responsible for the performance of its law-enforcers. Why cant known criminal gangs that operate freely be hauled in and booked once and for all? Many believe that the answer lies in the patronage extended to criminal elements by some politicians or other local influentials, including members of the police. Simply increasing the budget of the police force, as has been done this year, will not do the trick. Throwing money at the problem wont deliver if the system is faulty. Our officials must change their ways and tackle root causes. Perhaps the biggest danger here is that prolonged public disillusionment may not necessarily usher in a new chapter in democracy. People deserve change and they want it now.
