Dawn Editorials 9th October 2025

Extortion racket

THE menace of extortion has re-emerged in Karachi, with the megacity’s business community saying there has been an alarming surge in such cases. Criminals send extortion demands to traders — known as parchi in street parlance — often accompanied by a bullet to ensure the chilling message hits home: pay up or else. The head of Korangi’s trade association says at least 96 extortion cases have been reported this year. The real number may be higher as many victims are afraid to file complaints. The targets include small traders as well as tycoons. In fact, the head of a famous charity was recently targeted by extortionists demanding billions. As per reports, much of the ill-gotten loot is transferred abroad by criminals. Moreover, another trade industry leader claims that “influential criminals” receive protection, while officials of various departments demand bribes from businessmen.

Over a decade ago, the crime situation in the metropolis was off the charts, with a high number of targeted killings, extortion cases and street crimes. Militant wings of political parties, religious extremists as well as criminal gangs all played their part in promoting lawlessness and violence in the city. Matters improved slightly after a law-enforcement operation was launched in 2013, but now it seems that the lawbreakers are once more feeling confident enough to restart their activities in a major way. Already Karachi suffers from poor infrastructure and services, despite adding billions of rupees to the exchequer. If violent crime returns in a big way, then perhaps members of the business community may be compelled to take their investments elsewhere, to safer climes, as they did in the past. The state, therefore, cannot leave Karachi to the wolves. The city police, Sindh administration and federal security agencies all need to coordinate and crack down on extortion rackets and other violent crime. Traders must be provided an atmosphere free of violent crime in order to carry out business activities.

Published in Dawn, October 9th, 2025

United against disaster

TWO decades after the 2005 earthquake that killed more than 80,000 people, Pakistan’s leaders have offered solemn tributes and urgent calls for resilience. President Asif Zardari spoke of a “whole-of-society” effort, while Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif stressed the need for data-driven, community-led preparedness. Their words carry weight: Pakistan is battered repeatedly by the consequences of a warming planet it did little to heat. This year’s events paint a bleak picture. Monsoon floods displaced millions and destroyed crops and homes. Glacial-lake outbursts have surged in the north. Karachi has choked under urban flooding. Heatwaves and droughts have scorched farmland. Each passing year the country becomes more climate vulnerable. Scientific projections warn that extreme weather will intensify further, stretching institutions and communities to breaking point. It is a cruel paradox: the country shoulders the consequences of others’ recklessness, with little fiscal room to insulate itself. Yet the greater tragedy is political. Instead of uniting to strengthen disaster management, Pakistan’s ruling coalition has turned relief into a partisan weapon. The PPP and PML-N have recently exchanged accusations over this year’s flood operations. The PML-N questions the transparency of the Benazir Income Support Programme; the PPP claims its partner seeks to sideline an established federal safety net. What should be a joint endeavour to deliver food, shelter and cash to desperate households has become yet another theatre of mutual suspicion.

This bodes ill. The 2005 quake showed that collective mobilisation saves lives; neighbours then pulled survivors from rubble and volunteers rebuilt schools and clinics. But in 2025, with disasters multiplying, Pakistan’s institutions can no longer rely solely on goodwill and improvisation. Disaster risk reduction demands credible data, early warning systems, resilient infrastructure and, above all, coherent governance. To achieve this, politicians must recognise that natural hazards do not respect party boundaries. A flooded village in Sindh or KP has little interest in whether aid is branded PPP or PML-N. It matters only that relief arrives swiftly and transparently. National resilience cannot be subcontracted to political point-scoring. Mr Zardari and Mr Sharif are right to call for unity. But unless their coalition translates rhetoric into joint action, Pakistan will keep reliving the same cycle: calamity, response, recrimination and neglect. Climate change ensures that the next shock is never far away. Preparing for it requires a collective national resolve that transcends political lines.

Published in Dawn, October 9th, 2025

Political upheaval

THE long lull on the political front may have just been the build-up to a fresh storm. About a week after KP Chief Minister Ali Amin Gandapur complained to incarcerated PTI founder Imran Khan about the latter’s sister — reportedly going so far as to accuse her of attempting to ‘hijack’ the party with the help of an intelligence agency — he has been told to step down as provincial chief executive.

Mr Gandapur had laid bare his grievances concerning Aleema Khan in his first meeting with the jailed former prime minister in many months, primarily accusing her of ‘dividing’ the party and not doing enough to rein in his critics. It may be recalled that this meeting took place shortly after the PTI’s Sept 27 political rally in Peshawar, during which party workers had protested rather boorishly as Mr Gandapur addressed the crowd. The outgoing chief minister appears to have taken the insult to heart.

It had been becoming clear that Mr Khan might soon have to choose between the two, and even though he did briefly prohibit them from bickering, ultimately, he seems to have felt that blood runs thicker than water. One wonders how Mr Gandapur feels about this rather unceremonious dismissal. He appears to have been constantly under pressure from the PTI’s support base for not taking a more aggressive stance against the federal government and the state. This pressure had grown as Mr Khan’s incarceration continued to drag on.

The party’s new nominee for the position, Sohail Afridi, is said to be a more combative person, but how much can he do in the same position? It seems Mr Gandapur’s critics never came to terms with the fact that official titles and roles often come with their own very heavy restrictions. One must wait to see what the change of command will portend for the party.

One thing that does not seem to have changed is the constant conflict that surrounds the PTI chief. And, because of this, chaos still defines everything the party does. A major decision has been taken rather abruptly, and few really seem to know why. The party’s general secretary, Salman Akram Raja, has framed it as a desire for a ‘fresh start’ after the failure of Mr Gandapur’s government to implement Mr Khan’s vision.

Some are taking Mr Afridi’s nomination as a signal of the overall direction that the PTI may be orienting itself towards. The party recently announced Mahmood Khan Achakzai and Raja Nasir Abbas as its nominees for opposition leaders in the National Assembly and the Senate. It was seen as a provocation. With Mr Afridi’s addition to the PTI’s list of most important representatives, the party will be perceived to be taking a hard line. It would be interesting to see what developments unfold in the days to come.

Published in Dawn, October 9th, 2025