In a city of over 20 million, the rule of law appears increasingly irrelevant, replaced by a climate of unchecked violence and impunity, creating an aura of fear and desperation. From the bustling streets of Gulistan-e-Johar to the seemingly secure lanes of DHA, no corner of Karachi is safe from the creeping rot of targeted killings and criminal audacity.
In one shocking incident this week, two men were gunned down and three others injured outside a shop in Gulistan-e-Johar. The assailants, reportedly on motorcycles, opened fire with chilling precision before fleeing the scene. Initial reports suggest that the shooting was a targeted attack. As forensic teams collect bullet casings and statements are issued, the public is left asking the same question: what good are investigations when no one is ever held accountable?
Even more jarring was the assassination of senior lawyer Advocate Khawaja Shamsul Islam in DHA Phase VI. He was shot dead while exiting a mosque with his son, who was also injured. The police claim the attack stemmed from personal enmity, yet the sheer brazenness of the murder carried out in broad daylight in one of the city’s most ‘secure’ areas lays bare the alarming reach of violence in Karachi. What these incidents represent is a breakdown in policing and the collapse of deterrence. The city’s criminals have grown bolder, more strategic and far more lethal. They strike with precision, confident that the system will either not catch them or, worse, protect them.
While statements about collecting forensic evidence and forming special teams may be procedurally correct, they mean little in the absence of results. The provincial government and police hierarchy must acknowledge the erosion of public trust and work to rebuild it — not through token measures, but by strengthening policing and improving investigative capacity.
