MQM-P criticises Sindh government over rise in Karachi street crime

KARACHI: Members of the Sindh Assembly belonging to Muttahida Qaumi Movement-Pakistan (MQM-P) have expressed serious concern over what they described as a sharp increase in street crime in Karachi, accusing the Sindh government of failing to maintain law and order in the city.

In a statement issued from Bahadurabad, MQM-P lawmakers said the deteriorating security situation showed what they called the Sindh government’s deliberate incompetence. They also alleged that the prevailing conditions were part of a broader effort to economically weaken the people of Karachi.

The legislators said that, in their view, no locality or major thoroughfare in Karachi could now be considered secure. They stated that armed robbers were not only carrying out thefts but were also increasingly using violence, including killing citizens who offered resistance.

According to the statement, the party believes the situation goes beyond a simple failure of policing. MQM-P lawmakers said the crisis reflected a wider policy intended to sideline Karachi’s residents and drive them into greater financial hardship. They further alleged that such policies were being directed from within the corridors of power.

Criticism of administration

Strongly criticising the provincial administration, the MQM-P legislators said Karachi had effectively been handed over to criminals. In a sharply worded remark, they called on the Sindh government to drop the pretense.

The lawmakers also claimed that robberies were being committed openly in the presence of police and administrative authorities. They said the silence of those responsible amounted to criminal negligence.

In their statement, the MQM-P members said citizens already burdened by inflation were now being deprived of what remained of their savings. They added that this situation was pushing some people toward extreme desperation.

Allegations of political victimisation

The party’s lawmakers further alleged that Karachi’s residents were facing political victimisation and were being punished for their electoral choices. They said the people of the city had been left exposed to criminal activity instead of receiving protection from the state.

The statement from Bahadurabad presented the party’s criticism as both a law-and-order issue and a matter affecting the economic security of Karachi’s population. MQM-P legislators maintained that the worsening street crime situation had made daily life increasingly unsafe for residents across the city.

Their remarks come amid continued concern over incidents of robbery and violence in Karachi, with the party using the statement to press its criticism of the Sindh government’s handling of public safety and governance in the province’s largest city.