THE repeated failure of state-sponsored operations to capture gangs presiding over swathes of riverine katcha areas, particularly in upper Sindh and lower Punjab, says more about the half-hearted approach of law enforcers than their determination. Ahead of the game with better equipment and crafty strategies, gangs of bandits make the rules in these parts and hit the headlines with troubling regularity. Recently, their honey-traps have resurfaced, and despite warnings from the police, men are becoming easy prey — an employee of Rescue 1122 in Bahawalpur was abducted for ransom recently, as were others in Kashmore and Ghotki. Baits in the form of women or rewarding business deals keep the criminals safe in their hideouts as targets are brought to them. When victims arrive at a pre-set location, they are kidnapped. Such ensnarement has been frequent: in 2023, some 250 people from KP, Sindh and Punjab were taken hostage.

Although law-enforcement agencies assert that outlaws were weeded out from 58,500 acres last year, the fact is that several actions did not uproot their brutal foothold. Why has their brazen defiance not seen a decline even after numerous operations? Moreover, the irony of a police force sans modern arms or an adequate number of armoured personnel carriers facing criminals who brandish weapons fit for battle, including rocket launchers, should not be lost on the government and the LEAs. The hour has come for public resources to be used for the security of the vulnerable through effective action — trained law enforcers with sophisticated weapons, bulletproof gear and transport and drone surveillance should patrol the troubled areas; security agencies need to present a suitable picture of their prowess with a strategy that wins wars. The region’s socioeconomic realities must be addressed with education and employment so that the poor shun crime. Decades-old problems such as the katcha ganglands cannot thrive without patronage.

Published in Dawn, March 10th, 2024