WEDNESDAY’S high-powered huddle in Karachi to discuss the ongoing law-enforcement operation in the metropolis was little more than rhetoric. Not much emerged regarding any concrete step the state may have taken to pacify the city. Presided over by Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif, the meeting brought together the highest echelons of the country’s civilian and military leaderships, with former president Asif Zardari in attendance, while the army chief and DG ISI also sat in. Should Karachi’s citizens really expect to see visible changes in their security situation? While the meeting was told that the law enforcers were being given the latest gadgets to fight crime and that illegal SIMs were being shut down, it is also true that since the operation began last September, the drop in crime and violence in Karachi has hardly been discernible. No doubt, certain troubled areas such as Lyari have been quiet. But street crime and targeted killings continue. Even on the day the meeting was in session, a man was gunned down reportedly on sectarian grounds. In fact, sectarian killings have been occurring on almost a daily basis over the past few days.

Karachi’s vortex of violence is complex and multi-layered and only a continuous, multi-pronged effort can bring lasting peace to the city. At one level, politically backed criminals continue to operate in their respective areas of influence, indulging in crime ranging from extortion to murder. At another, sectarian killers operate in the metropolis with impunity, while a free rein is given to organised groups and individuals carrying out street crimes, terrorising citizens through muggings and kidnapping for ransom. Is the prime minister even aware of the level of street crime in Karachi? The situation is so bad that the majority of people do not file a report with the police when their wallet or mobile phone is snatched by armed thugs.

Far from lasting peace, what the operation has produced in Karachi is an uneasy calm that continues to be punctured by a variety of violent incidents. No one can seriously say that due to the efforts of the last few months the metropolis is on the road to stability. For example, how many killers, extortionists and kidnappers have been arrested and sentenced so far? The problem is, unless the law enforcement and prosecution systems are strengthened so that criminals are caught, prosecuted and punished, no operation will be a success. This must be a continuous process, not limited to a few months or weeks. A dedicated, honest police force, aided by paramilitaries where need be, coupled with a strong legal system, can turn things around. But for that to happen, the state needs to show sincerity of purpose while all stakeholders — political parties included — must play by the rules and let the law take its course.

Published in Dawn, May 16th, 2014