YET another gruesome killing related to the Lyari gang war in Karachi has underscored the inability of the law enforcement agencies to halt bloody rivalries that are spreading to other predominantly Baloch localities in the city. Monday’s killing of five people in Mowachh Goth some distance away from Lyari, highlights the determination of criminal elements in localised turf wars to extend their reach to wherever their quarry may be. Deplorable as the incident is, it is not for the first time that elements associated with gang wars have struck outside their areas of influence. Already in the throes of a multifaceted violence, Karachi is ill-prepared to meet the challenge of local gangs operating outside their traditional turf. At the same time, it would be unfair to argue for such violence to be contained in a certain quarter of the city. The problem must be eliminated altogether, and Lyari, one of the most congested and dangerous localities of Karachi, must be given a chance to experience peace.

As indicated, security operations have not yielded much, and criminal gangs, undeterred by a weak judicial system, continue to operate with impunity. But it is also a colossal failure on the part of Karachi’s politicians, especially those representing Lyari, to ensure communal harmony in the area. Scores of Lyari residents have periodically left their homes to escape the daily mayhem and take shelter in other parts of the city, even outside. And yet no remedial action has been taken by the authorities who have adopted a discriminatory approach when it comes to cracking down on violence. Tackling crime in an impoverished area has to go hand in hand with efforts to develop it. Lyari is no exception. The effort to uproot criminals from the locality must be twinned with earnest development work that caters to the health and education needs of the people, while giving the latter the infrastructure that can spur economic activities.