Lyari is Karachi’s most lawless district – with two warring gangs battling for territory. Outsiders never visit and residents struggle to survive. According to a report in Pakistan’s excellent Herald magazine (text not online, unfortunately):
The six-kilometre-long Tannery Road, popularly known as Layari’s LoC [line of control], now serves as the de factor border demarcating Dakait and Zikri held areas – entry and exit in either is risky business. In the midst of this mayhem, the residents of Lyari continue to suffer manifold: many have been forced to change their residencies, their movements restricted while education has taken a back seat as young people have [great euphemism coming up…] misplaced priorities.
Many have fled their homes, which are then looted by the rival gangs. “Those who could not relocate have scrambled to shore up their defences, boarding windows with iron sheets to shield their families from stray bullets.” Strangers are quickly picked up by patrolling gangs, and can be tortured to death.
The only solution, of course, is to seek protection from one of the gangs. A bank worker’s house was set on fire by one of the Zikri gang members:
After that I invited Dakait to take over the area and gave them complete information about where Zikri and his men were positioned. A day prior to the launch of the police operation, Dakait’s men set up up a post on the roof of my house at midnight. I have become a member of the Dakait gang since and am doing two jobs: one at the office, the other for Dakait.
Rehman Dakait’s gang is the more successful, now controlling 75% of the territory. Predictably enough, its role is now beginning to shift, as it starts to substitute for government in the areas it now controls:
Of late, the image of the dreaded, almost mythical figure of Dakait is being recast by his henchmen. Several complaint centres have been set up in Dakait-held areas which act swiftly on being informed of a robbery or mugging in the locality.
Armed men on new CG-125 motorbikes wearing a specific camoflauge P-Cap, the uniform of Dakait’s force, promptly reach the spot after being informed of a street crime, say Lyari’s residents.
A crackdown was launched in May, but failed. Now another has been announced:
A senior officer at the meeting told The News that, besides the joint deployment of police and Rangers personnel in the inner corridor of Lyari, 28 exit and entry points have been identified for establishing pickets. About 12 Armored Personnel Carriers (APCs) have been arranged for the police and Rangers patrolling. The entire plan would be finalised before the second week of July, he said.
The meeting was further informed that cameras with powerful zoom capabilities would also be installed at various selected and identified locations, while snap-checking would be conducted at a number of points in the locality. The Sindh home minister was also briefed about practical problems with respect to manpower and logistics support.
You reckon that’s going to work? No, I didn’t think you did…
