If crimes in Karachi do not cease, MQM-P threatens to go to the streets

The Muttahida Qaumi Movement-Pakistan (MQM-P) has threatened to go on the streets if the government does not act to stop the street crimes that are a problem in Karachi.

MQM-P’s Ali Khurshidi told a news conference in Karachi, “We would raise our voice [on the issue] in the Sindh Assembly and in the National Assembly and would protest on the streets if our concerns are not addressed.”

His comments coincide with a notable uptick in street crimes in Karachi over the past several months, which has left numerous people hurt or killed.

Since January 1, the city has seen at least 59 robberies-related fatalities and 200 injuries as a result of victims fighting back against these crimes.

During the holy month of Ramadan alone, up to 6,780 crimes were perpetrated in Karachi, including the theft of 20 vehicles and the theft of over 130 others.

In addition, 830 motorbikes were stolen in the same month as 4,200 other vehicles. In the meanwhile, 55 people were hurt and 19 individuals lost their lives throughout Ramadan.

The two parties have been verbally sparring in recent weeks over the problem of street violence in the metropolis. Both parties are important partners of the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz’s (PML-N) administration in the Center.

Ziaul Hasan Lanjar, the home minister for Sindh, said last month that crime was “part of a daily life” and that concerns about Karachi’s law and order situation were being “exaggerated”.

Political groups and other segments of society took offense at the statements. The MQM-P, in particular, has demanded that the Pakistan Army take control of the nation’s financial center for a period of three months.

Surrounded by Nasreen Jalil and others, Khurshidi bemoaned the inadequacy of the police, claiming that there was no secure street in Karachi.

The member of the Sindh Assembly accused the Pakistan Peoples Party-led provincial government of blaming the caretaker administration for the state of law and order in Sindh, despite the party’s 15-year control, citing the daily theft of over 1,000 mobile phones in Karachi.

Every year, mobile phones valued at about Rs 10 billion are stolen. We [are compelled to] wonder if the police are helping the criminals if crimes are not halted.

“To enable the government apparatus to function, we have conducted two news conferences. The MQM-P leader declared, “This is about people lives, not politics.

Jalil expressed alarm about the state of law and order in the city, stating that criminal activity had “stormed” the metropolis.

“We’re sick of having to transport corpses. We have no control over the public’s ire,” the woman remarked.

“The government should announce compensation for those who have been killed in street crime-related incidents,” she stated.