ISLAMABAD: Police officers of the four provinces and Gilgit-Baltistan told the Senate Standing Committee on Interior on Wednesday that the crime was becoming organised as various criminal groups had associated themselves with terrorist organisations like the Taliban and Baloch Liberation Army (BLA).

“We are heading for a situation like Mexico where drug lords and street criminals are operating like a corporate firm,” said a senior official of the National Police Bureau. “The more serious problem in Pakistan is that terrorists and anti-state elements are getting aligned with all kinds of criminals.”

The committee’s chairman Senator Talha Mehmood suggested that police should use strong-handed techniques to curb the crime rather than waiting for the outcome of court cases against criminals. “The number of known gangs involved in murders, kidnappings for ransom, car lifting and other criminal activities has been increasing. The general impression is that police cannot even touch these criminals,” he regretted.

Mr Mehmood even stopped short of saying that police should rather take decision by themselves to crush the know criminals, but he was interrupted by Interior Secretary Qamar Zaman Chaudhri.

Islamabad IG Sikander Hayat told the committee meeting held to discuss cases of kidnapping for ransom that police figures and record about the crime did not reflect true picture of the overall situation in the country.

“Things are that people are afraid of us and don’t come forward to register complaints. At the same time our people are losing trust in the system,” he said, terming the figures showing reduced crime an ‘eyewash’.

Senator Shahi Syed of the Awami National Party alleged that terrorist organisations like the Tehreek-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) and BLA operated with the help of local criminals in Lyari and other parts of Karachi.

“It may look odd but we have seen it. If you catch a small fish involved in crime his backing comes from the TTP whose field operators in Karachi are criminals belonging to Waziristan or Afghanistan,” he said.

Shahi Syed even accused personnel of intelligence agencies, Rangers and police of conniving with criminals. He cited an example that persons belonging to a terror outfit came to the forefront after complaints were lodged to the officers of an intelligence agency against some criminals.

Tell the committee about coordination between the gangs of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Punjab and Balochistan and the criminals in Karachi, he asked Senator Talha Mehmood. “Why don’t you tell police about your missing 40-foot container?” Shahi Syed said.

Senator Mehmood told the committee that a container carrying some technical parts had been taken to Lyari more than a year ago and despite efforts the driver of the trailer were still missing. The container was found empty. The Karachi DIG alleged that the criminal justice system was protecting the criminals. “We cannot get hold of anybody because we know that even after producing proof, evidence and witnesses in the court if the criminal gets bail everybody, including police officials, may be in trouble,” he added.

A senior police officer from Balochistan admitted that target killings on the basis of sects or ethnicity got out of control. The Gilgit-Baltistan police officer said crime was not an issue in the region, but terrorism and sectarian-related killings were increasing. “Same locals of Diameer were involved in the recent killing of foreign mountaineers at there base camp in Nanga Parwat,” he said.

Asked if there was any foreign hand behind these killings, police officers of Balochistan and Gilgit-Baltistan said their approach was limited to local killers and tracing their planners or financiers was beyond their limits.

The committee decided to hold another meeting and summon personnel of FC, Rangers and ISI to work out a strategy to curb the nexus between criminal gangs and terrorist organisations in country.