KARACHI: Opposition parties on Friday came down heavily on the Sindh government following a shocking robbery of female medical students in Karachi, calling the incident a grim reminder of the city’s worsening law and order situation and a clear sign of governance failure.

Several female students of the Jinnah Medical and Dental College travelling in a bus of their medical college were robbed by armed men on Thursday within the remit of the New Town police station.

The opposition parties called the incident a failure of the policing system in the metropolis.

The leaders from the Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf (PTI), Jamaat-i-Islami, Pakistan Muslim League-Functional (PML-F) and Muttahida Qaumi Movement-Pakistan (MQM-P) expressed anger and concern in separate statements.

PTI Karachi president Raja Azhar said the incident had exposed the Sindh government’s inability to protect citizens, particularly women, even in busy urban areas. He termed the situation alarming and demanded that authorities ensure visible policing and swift action against those involved.

He further said that repeated incidents of street crimes had created an atmosphere of fear among citizens, especially students and working women. He urged the government to revisit its policing strategy and allocate more resources to law enforcement agencies to curb such crimes effectively.

Monem Zafar Khan of Jamaat-i-Islami said Karachiites were feeling increasingly unsafe. “Such incidents are becoming routine due to poor governance.”

He urged the government to take practical steps instead of making “hollow” claims about improved security.

He said that the protection of women and students should be a top priority, criticising the authorities for their failure to ensure safe commuting within the city. He also called for “community policing measures” and stricter accountability of officials responsible for maintaining law and order.

Sardar Abdul Rahim of the PML-F expressed deep concern over the incident, saying it reflected the broader collapse of law enforcement in Karachi.

He demanded immediate corrective measures and warned that continued negligence would further erode public trust in the government.

He said that the provincial government must be held accountable for its prolonged failure to maintain peace in the city. He stressed the need for institutional reforms and better coordination among security agencies to effectively tackle the rising wave of street crime.

Earlier, senior leader of MQM-P Aminul Haque condemned the robbery and said the Sindh government had failed to control street crime despite being in power for years.

He called for accountability and stressed the need for a comprehensive strategy to restore law and order to the city. He claimed that citizens were left at the mercy of criminals, which was unacceptable in a metropolitan city like Karachi.

He demanded that the government present a clear action plan and ensure that law enforcement agencies deliver tangible results.

Published in Dawn, March 28th, 2026