THIS refers to the comments made by President Asif Ali Zardari that ‘state has not failed in Karachi’ (Nov 15). True, the state has not failed, but it seems that there are efforts to fail the state.

All signs point towards it. Be it targeted killings, CNG shut down, gang wars, harassing the businessmen for extortion and inability of the law-enforcement agencies to arrest the criminals; it all suggests that either the government has failed in Karachi or it is deliberately trying to be ignorant.

A country’s economic hub is left to bleed, politically, economically and socially. Since Nov 6, 50 people have been killed on ethnic, sectarian and religious grounds. The toll will rise.

Harassing businessmen, demanding extortion money has become common practice in Karachi. Merchants voluntarily provide the amount demanded by extortionists on the due dates or they face life threats. Is this not failure of state?

CNG shut down has become a chronic problem in Karachi. Since the Supreme Court’s order of selling CNG Rs30 cheaper, CNG stations are shut down every now and then, making life miserable for the common man, not to mention business community. Every single day is a battle of survival for the people of Karachi.

This is surely the government’s failure. It is a shame that our elected representatives just before the elections are providing us bullets, blood and bodies.

BISMAH MIRZA Karachi

Crime situation My cousin, husband and mother-in-law were looted of all valuables at gunpoint in front of a cinema by a man dressed up as a guard.

On threatening to shoot if they didn’t cooperate, he indicated that there were accomplices too. He ran with the booty into the lane behind the cinema and was not chased by any other guards present there. On asking the other guards, they expressed their helplessness.

My daughter was driving with her friends at 7.00pm on Khayaban-i-Rahat and was motioned to pull over by an armed motorcyclist. Having her bearings, she swerved the car to unbalance him and sped. I shudder to think of the consequences had he fired or there were more bikers with him.

DR SAMIA KHAN Karachi