IT is a familiar tale. Every year, occasions for national celebration turn into fear and mourning just because some citizens feel they are beyond the reach of the law. Each year, instead of expressing happiness and joy in a civilised manner, a number of citizens discharge deadly firearms into the air, putting the lives of others at risk. Whatever combination of negligence and disregard for collective safety drives this behaviour, the results are predictable and preventable. This year, the toll by the evening of Independence Day was at least 94 injured and two dead in Karachi alone. The city’s police and law-enforcement authorities are directly to blame. Despite this being a yearly occurrence, they have still failed to develop an effective deterrent strategy or adequately protect citizens. The systemic failure is clear: law enforcement either lacks the commitment or the resources to enforce existing laws with consistency. The city’s institutional neglect has created an environment in which those willing to discharge firearms during national celebrations face minimal consequences.

Exemplary punishments and a zero-tolerance policy for discharging firearms, especially on national days, would serve as a strong deterrent. The police could also enlist citizen support; by requesting residents to report aerial firing incidents through police helplines, action could be swiftly taken against those openly flouting the law. There is no shortage of ideas or practical solutions. What is missing is the will to implement them. Until the state demonstrates that the law applies to everyone, and that pulling a trigger in a crowded city carries a lasting cost, these scenes will be repeated. The dead and injured of this Independence Day deserve more than the ritual expressions of concern that follow every such tragedy. Karachi needs intervention from a leadership willing to act — consistently and without fear or favour. Anything less is a tacit admission that the lives lost to this senseless practice simply do not count.

Published in Dawn, August 15th, 2026