Karachi a safe city

I was a little surprised to read in one of the surveys on line that Karachi is the fourth most dangerous city in the world. I know that there are many qualities that Karachi can be associated with but being dangerous in the general term of the word meaning it is not safe for visitors or tourists is stretching things a little too far.

I don’t know what terminology one can use to describe a city which might not be very dangerous or unsafe for visitors but is decidedly dangerous and risky for its own inhabitants and specially those living in the less privileged areas of this metropolis.

Not a day goes by when armed dacoits do not strike at the unwary residents of this city and things are becoming so alarming that even toddlers and teenagers of this city are becoming the target of armed violence. Arms it seems have become so common that recently there have been incidents in which a man finds it convenient to casually fiddle with his loaded gun in his car resulting in shooting of a teenage street vendor and even his own son.

How can a father be so careless that he would play with a loaded pistol while his own toddler son is within range and results in killing another teenager trying to earn a living by selling stuff on the streets. In another similar incident dacoits attempted to rob a family in Gulshan-e-Maymar and there was an exchange of firing in which two children were injured.

With a population of around 19 million people, Karachi is Pakistan’s main financial and industrial center. Yes it is a sprawling city with inhabitants from other countries some living illegally and dominant among them are the Afghans who are these days being repatriated to their homeland. As we were neighbors to the Afghan war arms freely flowed in and are still to be found in abundance especially in Karachi.

Notwithstanding the presence of arms I think it would be wrong to say that there is any threat to tourists in Karachi. There are tourist buses clearly marked and decorated and they have never been targeted. Also, most of the five-star hotels where tourists stay are by the grace of God quite safe and there has been no incident of any tourist mugged in or near their place of residence.

There are also cheap residences in different areas of the city where some foreigners like to stay for reasons of economy. Not only do they stay here but through the owners have arrangements for transport run by people of different origins and so far there has been no incident reported in this area also. Also, there has never been a complaint of a tourist mugged outside their hotel or in a lane or bylane near the busy shopping centers of the city.

Some tourists are quite at home and especially those who enjoy early morning cruises through boats whose owners have actually become quite friendly with visiting foreigners many of whom are lovingly called “Charlie” by the visitors and the boats fly flags of different countries. Innovative pastimes like crabbing have been introduced and the visitors take early morning trips to catch crabs with the facility of having them cooked right before their eyes and enjoy this highly spiced innovative dish, a favorite of these early morning hunters.

Actually, not only this activity but several more can be promoted and succeed if the concerned authorities promoted them more aggressively as not only in the water but on land Karachi offers many attractive options waiting to be explored and enjoyed by the visitors.

Many more attractions await tourists just outside Karachi like for example the Chow Kandi tombs that are just a short drive away from the center of the city. To top it all there is the famous Karachi bus tour which is also a favourite not only for visitors but also patronized by locals.

All these activities go on unhindered and the bottom line is that tourists in Karachi can go about their business safely and there is no threat to visitors. I would say that tourists in Karachi are safer than they are in many capitals of the world. Come to Karachi and enjoy. There is no threat to visitors.

Copyright Business Recorder, 2025