Cases of young girls being kidnapped, raped and released, are reported everyday from various parts of Karachi. The fact that no arrests have been shows the priorities of those at helm of our financial capital. In a rare instance, when such an attempt was thwarted on 2 March at a shopping complex in Clifton and the assailants were caught by video surveillance cameras, their faces were not shown to the media to ‘name and shame’ as deterrence. For this to go unnoticed in a country which prides upon calling itself an Islamic Republic is shameful. No other state would allow such heinous crimes to go on unchecked. Who is responsible for such a state of affairs? Is it the city administration, the provincial government, elected representatives, or the numerous security agencies being paid for by tax payers?
For five years, we have had an elected government, but no legislation has been undertaken to effectively prosecute terrorists. On 3 March, terrorists launched an attack on the residents of Abbas Town, killing over 55, using an inflammable chemical. This is the same chemical which was used in 12 May, 2007, when lawyers were burned to death. After all these sectarian hate attacks occurred right in the centre of Karachi or Quetta. They plan and stage these attacks from within these cities and manage to flee. Terrorism can only be curtailed in Pakistan if there is a total crackdown on all criminals, whether they be affiliated with TTP, any political party or sectarian outfit.
MALIK TARIQ
Lahore