KARACHI -
The increasing crime rate in the metropolis ahead of general elections has exposed tall claim of the government and law enforcing agencies.
Being directed by the Supreme Court, the law enforcing agencies have been carrying out targeted operations in various areas of the city. The operations were creating a little deterrence among the criminal gangs, terrorists groups and politically motivated violent groups for the time being.
Additional Inspector General Sindh, Ghulam Shabbir Shaikh, said as many as 50 per cent poling stations are highly sensitive where incidents of severe violence could take place on the day of elections. He said that the TTP has established a strong organisational structure in District West areas.
Despite the arrest of hundreds of suspects and targeted operations in various localities, by Rangers and police, the crime rate is constantly going up in the city. The politically motivated target killings, attacks on rival political parties and threat of terrorism have crippled the social fabric of the city. The ongoing targeted operations managed to curb political parties and groups form clashes, but such steps have failed to wipe out the armed operatives of various groups in the city.
In an armed clash between the rival political parties took place in Landhi area, a 12-year- old boy was gunned down and workers of the MQM-H staged a sit-in protest at Baber Market in Landhi. The MQM-H is trying to regain the position in its previous stronghold areas including Landhi, Korangi and Lines area.
On the other side, an MQM election office in Kharader area was attacked by armed assailants in which at last least 13 people were wounded. The Old City areas remain tensed because of the armed clashes between the Lyari gangsters, known as Amman Committee, Katchi Rabita Council, MQM and Sunni Tehreek.
It is worth mentioning here the workers and operatives of the rival groups are not even supposed to cross the line of control and hundreds of people have been killed in last couple of years.
On the other side, a Jamaat-e-Islami office was ransacked by miscreants in Nazimabad area while a Tehreek-e-Insaf office was attacked in Nagan Chowrangi area.
The areas of District West, Old City and Landhi are among the highly controversial domains where the TTP is also targeting leaders and workers of secular political parties.
The areas dominated by the TTP gave an open space to the rightist political groups while the secular political parties have been facing an extreme threat of violence and avoiding any sort of political campaign.