KARACHI: The Additional Inspector General of Police (AIGP), Karachi, Azad Khan, while assuring the business community that safeguarding Karachi, the country’s economic heart, is among the highest priorities of Sindh Police, emphasized that protecting the city’s commercial and industrial activities is synonymous with protecting Pakistan’s economy.
Stressing that terrorism, extortion and street crimes remained the foremost challenges confronting law enforcement agencies, he said Karachi Police, in close coordination with intelligence agencies and other law enforcement institutions, had significantly strengthened preventive policing, resulting in a notable decline in major crimes, while reiterating an uncompromising policy against extortionists, land grabbers, narcotics networks and organized criminal groups.
He was speaking at a meeting during his visit to the Karachi Chamber of Commerce & Industry (KCCI) on Tuesday.
The Additional IGP stated that Karachi’s business district remained the top operational priority of Sindh Police because the city served as the economic engine of Pakistan.
“Every security measure undertaken in Karachi is not merely for this city but for the economic stability of the entire country,” he said, adding that the police fully recognized their responsibility to ensure a secure business environment that encouraged economic activity and investment.
He informed the participants of the meeting that while 37 terrorism-related incidents had been recorded across Sindh during the corresponding period last year, only eight incidents had occurred during the current year, with no major terrorist incident reported.
He credited this achievement to proactive intelligence gathering, preventive operations and close coordination among all law enforcement agencies.
Referring to street crime, the Additional IGP acknowledged that it continued to remain one of the biggest policing challenges. However, he saidthat statistics showed that overall street crimes had declined by approximately 15 percent during the first six months of the current year compared to the same period last year.
He said that incidents of robbery-cum-murder had declined by nearly 30 percent, cases involving injuries during robberies had reduced by 40 percent, while vehicle thefts had also declined by around 30 percent.
Although mobile phone snatching had witnessed a slight increase, yet the overall trend reflected substantial improvement.
On the issue of extortion, the Additional IGP declared a policy of zero-tolerance.
He revealed that during the first six months of the current year, nine extortionists were killed in police encounters, around 15 were injured, and 61 extortionists were arrested.
Referring to illegal foreign nationals, particularly undocumented Afghan nationals, Azad Khan said the federal government’s policy was being implemented rigorously and urged businesses and people not to provide employment or shelter to illegal immigrants.
Highlighting the impact of recently introduced technology-based traffic reforms, the DIG (Traffic),Pir Muhammad Shah, stated that the new traffic management system had already produced measurable results.
Heavy vehicle accident fatalities had declined by 40 percent, while the overall system had prevented approximately 60 fatalities and saved nearly 217 citizens from serious injuries or permanent disabilities.
He said the Traffic Police had also initiated Karachi’s first comprehensive scientific study on traffic congestion to measure travel times across major corridors during peak hours. The findings would help formulate long-term engineering and traffic management solutions.
The Chairman of BMG, Zubair Motiwala, stated that while discussions on citywide law and order were important, the foremost priority should be the issues being faced by traders operating in Karachi’s traditional commercial markets, including Jodia Bazaar, the Cloth Market and other wholesale trading hubs. Those markets, he said, encountered persistent challenges relating to security, encroachments, traffic congestion and administrative actions, which directly affected business operations.
Referring to anti-encroachment drives, Zubair Motiwala said that legitimate shopkeepers often suffered unnecessarily while illegal roadside vendors continued operating.
He said that enforcement actions must be fair and transparent so that genuine businesses were protected rather than penalized.
He suggested that Karachi Police designate dedicated focal persons to maintain regular liaison with market associations so that routine operational and security issues could be resolved promptly through continuous coordination with the trading community.
He also proposed introduction of an online FIR registration system, stating that technological reforms successfully implemented in traffic management should now be extended to criminal complaint registration.
The Vice Chairman of BMG, Anjum Nisar, lauded the Karachi Police for maintaining continuous engagement with the business community, observing that meaningful dialogue between law enforcement agencies and stakeholders was essential for creating an environment conducive to economic growth and investment.
The President of KCCI, Muhammad Rehan Hanif, while referring to Karachi’s overall security environment, acknowledged that law and order had improved considerably compared to four or five years ago, crediting Sindh Police for playing a vital role in restoring peace.
However, he cautioned that the situation was still far from ideal, particularly due to the recent increase in street crime incidents.
He urged the police leadership to formulate a more aggressive and effective strategy against street criminals, emphasizing that seemingly minor incidents of mobile phone or cash snatching frequently resulted in tragic loss of lives.
Describing the Safe City Project as one of the most critical initiatives for Karachi, the President of KCCI stressed that expansion of camera surveillance across the entire metropolis would substantially strengthen crime prevention, improve investigations and enhance public confidence.
Copyright Business Recorder, 2026
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