Daily Times

The current state of Pakistan’s economy is deeply concerning, and its impact on the citizens is reflected in the increasing crime rate. And being Pakistanis, it is a sad time for all of us as we are going through the worst times in the 75-year history of this country. Every other day, we hear news of violent crimes like target killings, mobile snatching at gunpoint, robbery, stealing, harassment, and abuse. It is disturbing and alarming. Also, record-breaking inflation, economic crisis, political instability, and poverty is driving people to commit crimes as an easy way out, without considering the impact it has on others. We have normalized snatching and such crimes, which is a severe problem. Hence, the strongest action shall be taken against such elements of our society and be given exemplary punishments. Similarly, we need to be cautious at all times, whether it is day or night. Educating people about the safety measures they can take to avoid being a victim of such crimes is essential. Also, we need our law enforcement agencies to deliver and put their effort into making Pakistan a crime-free state where people can roam freely.

Recently, under the prime supervision of Inspector General Punjab (Dr. Usman Anwar), the police force has taken the initiative and started an operation against the criminals in the Katcha area of Rahim Yar Khan. The Sindh police also took part in it. About 2,000 soldiers were sent from Punjab for the operation, whereas 11,000 policemen participated in it. IG Punjab himself reached the area and personally supervised the operation. He started leading the campaign on the orders of the National Security Committee. On the first day of the operation, police teams arrested robbers and destroyed their hideouts. The accused attacked the convoy of the Punjab IGP and injured a head constable of the Bahawalpur RPO. He was shifted to Lahore for treatment. In an exchange of fire, a robber was killed while six others were arrested. In addition, Mr. IGP, Bahawalpur Regional Police Officer (Rai Saeed Babar), and District Police Officer (Rizwan Umar Gondal) were there as all political and military leadership were on the same page regarding the operation. During the conversation in the session, he told that even after the completion of the operation, the police are staying in the areas to ensure the rule of law, although it is full of danger because the cane fields are approximated height at 11 to 15 feet, which the dacoits use to hide in, and the area is expanded over 176 km, that gets full of water during rain making it more difficult to conduct such an operation. However, it is not a proper solution. Police stations should be made at certain distances, one after the other, so that these gangsters cannot operate in such areas.

The intelligence-based operations had been going on for some time while this fully-fledged operation was being launched to clear the interior areas of the anti-social elements. The police chief also said that the morale of the police Jawans was very high, and all the anti-social elements would be eliminated once and for all. A cash reward of Rs1.2 million and certificates of appreciation for DPO Rizwan Umar Gondal and his team were also given after the grand operation. It was indeed a much-needed operation, as the incidents of kidnapping for ransom had been on the rise for the last few months. The victims were taken to the Kacha areas, where they were held hostage while their relatives were contacted and demanded ransom. Just a few weeks ago, an elderly man, who was the father of a doctor hailing from Chung in Lahore, had been abducted. The victim had been on his way to Khushab from Thokar Niaz Beg when he fell victim to the kidnappers. Later, his family got a call for ransom from the dacoits who had been hiding somewhere in the Kacha area. Also, in a similar case, a man and his elderly uncle from Liaqatabad had also been kidnapped for ransom by dacoits from the Kacha area when they had been on their way to attend a wedding ceremony.

If the operation would not be performed, these dangerous and selfish dacoits and robbers could have kidnapped or killed more people. Both the Punjab and Sindh police should remain united and keep doing such operations till the end of such gangs in the Katcha areas of both provinces. The police chief said the operation will continue with full force until the area has not been completely cleared or all the bandits are apprehended. He confirmed that three robbers had been killed during the operation, while 28 had been arrested, and a huge cache of heavy weapons and ammunition were also seized. He further said police camps had been established after destroying the hideouts of many dacoits. Additionally, during the operation, 9 policemen were martyred, and 8 were injured in Kashmore, 5 were martyred and 5 injured in Ghotki, and 1 was martyred and 1 injured in Rajanpur.

The area of Ghotki and Kashmore in Sindh has expanded over to 176 Km with different difficult angles. During the rainy season, the area becomes full of mud, where a normal vehicle or SUV or even special police cars with chains cannot go there. Contrary to that, on normal days, it is full of sand where, in the same way, usual cops’ cars cannot go easily. These dacoits and robbers come from tribes, including Sakhani, and Imrani, and perform their evil and illegal deeds. These groups also do honey trapping and rob people. Moreover, they got illegal weapons and bombs from Dera Bugti, and no one was ready enough to stop them lawfully. However, the police department did a great job and deserves appreciation. Specifically, RPO Rai Babar Saeed and DPO Rizwan Umar Gondal as both are highly competent officers who worked wholeheartedly to restore peace and prosperity. In addition, these elements should be given punishments, and areas such as Katcha should be used as cultivation land so that no one would ever in future try to break the rules and regulations and harm humanity.

The writer is a Social and Crime Analyst and can be reached at: figure786@hotmail.com.