PESHAWAR, April 14: The provincial government has failed to restore the rule of law in the high-crime incidence pockets of the province.

During the third assembly session, MPAs from both opposition and treasury benches urged the government to take stringent steps for eradicating crimes like kidnapping-for-ransom, car-snatching, robbery, dacoity, burglary and drug-peddling. But this exclusive session convened to discuss the law and order situation ended without finding ways to curb the crime rate. Since these things are moving on in the same old way.

The law enforcement agencies, which are expected to maintain law and order, rattle about lack of manpower and paucity of funds. They also complain about political meddling into their professional duties. For this, they are not ready to take full responsibility for the growing incidence of crime in the province.

The provincial metropolis too has become the hub of all sort of crimes. In the last three months, police have registered 33 cases of missing children. But senior police officials deny such happenings. When a local newspaper carried the news about missing children, the police not only contradicted it, but also claimed to have recovered 134 children.

The incidents of dacoity and robbery make no news these days. Peripheral settlements like Faqirabad, Hasan Garhi, Badeber, Matni, Hazar Khani, Daudzai and Pishtkhara are some of the crime-wise worst-hit areas. Inside the city, break-in cases in congested dingy lanes are not reported.

The MMA leaders have now started making complains of lawlessness in their own districts. They hold bureaucracy responsible for this situation.”The bureaucracy wants to fail the MMA government,” said a Jamaat-i-Islami worker from Malakand.

The deteriorating law and order situation forced teachers of five educational institutions to observe a day-long strike on Tuesday to register their protest against the growing incidents of car-snatching and dacoity on the greater campus.

A few days ago, some unidentified criminals gunned down a clerk on the campus, which inculcated a senses of insecurity in the minds of the teacher community living in university towns.

The teachers associations of Agriculture University, Peshawar University, Engineering University, and of Islasmia College and Islamia Collegiate School at a joint meeting on Saturday condemned the vice-chancellors and police force manning the greater campus for ignoring their (teachers) demands.

The teaching staff threatened if the government failed to provide them security, they would shut down varsities for indefinite period.

They have also urged the governor and chief minister to take notice of rising crimes on the campus and take some effective measures to control it.

“The MMA component parties are not short of manpower. They can use their strength detailed at seminaries. The MMA’s activists are enough to replace the corrupt elements in security agencies,” a disgruntled teacher told Dawn .