ARMED robberies and theft are on the rise again in Defence Housing Authority. The recent cold-blooded murder of a young mother of two is proof of rising crime in this posh locality.

A recent documentary on Dawn TV showed how a gang of criminals first scout women and old-aged drivers in DHA and alert their accomplices who are waiting for their prey at the next intersection.

The DHA vigilance committee staff are seldom seen manning entrance and exit points of the area. The authority recently spent millions of taxpayers’ money to install CCTV cameras at entrance and exit points but it seems that the cameras are unable to pick up the entrance and exit of criminals. The police is usually absent from the roads and intersections.

Most of the elites and lawmakers of Pakistan travel with their private militias and police escorts and hence are not worried about petty thefts. It is the poor unarmed and vulnerable citizens who become the prey.

If civilians continue to lose their lives in Karachi due to petty theft and snatching, then it is unfortunately time to take matters in our own hands. Being a doctor, I am strictly against the acquisition of firearms. But I will not let a criminal take the life of another mother or sister.

Dr Jahanzeb Effendi
Karachi

Published in Dawn, September 12th, 2014