THERE is much that is being written and said about the worsening law and order situation in interior Sindh, and rightly so. The first thing that comes to my mind is the maxim that says it is not the gun, but the man behind the gun that counts. The key factor in the country’s struggle against the outlaws in rural areas cannot be the arsenal with which we want to fight them. It will always be the political will of those running the policymaking platforms in the country.

Despite repeated empty promises by the politicians as well as a series of operations by the security forces, the government has failed to permanently dislodge the outlaws from their hideouts. The riverine areas of the tri-border of Punjab, Sindh and Balochistan, especially Kashmore, Shikarpur and Ghotki districts, have long been safe havens for criminal gangs.

One wonders why such operations have to be launched every few years. Why can the bandit problem in the katcha areas of the three provinces not be addressed permanently? With advancements in drone technology, it should not be too difficult to precisely locate the hideouts and prevent lethal weaponry from reaching the outlaws. But do the policymakers actually want to eradicate the evil from society? That is, and will always be, the big question that needs to be answered.

Imdad Hussain Lashari
Kandhkot

Published in Dawn, April 30th, 2024