Dear editor,
Rural Sindh has long lived with a gap between what the state/local government promises and what people experience. Therefore I wanted to raise voice through your respected outlet. Now that gap feels wider. Districts like Ghotki, Shikarpur, Jacobabad, Kadhkot, & Kashmore sit at the center of a cycle of kidnapping, robbery and open street crime that keeps ordinary families on edge. Anyone who has traveled through these areas knows the pattern & surely consent with my point, people avoid certain roads after sunset, markets shut early, and every conversation eventually turns to who was taken, who was robbed or who narrowly escaped.
The kidnapping economy is the clearest sign of collapse. In district specially mentioned above, of upper Sindh, entire stretches of land are treated as safe havens for criminal groups. They move hostages across riverine belts that are difficult to police, and they do it with a confidence that suggests they aren’t worried about consequences. For villagers, this means even routine travel feels risky, traders slow down businesses, students hesitate to go to tuition. A crime problem becomes a development problem because fear interrupts daily life.
Let me share my personal experiences, one of my neighbor got kidnapped named Muhammad Eesa, coming back to home from his job at night & kidnappers being know of his job & routine, demanded huge ransom. Luckily we had little influence on kidnappers through our so called politicians.
Robbery and street crime add another layer. Highway hold-ups are common enough that people openly discuss which routes to avoid. Motorcyclists lose their bikes, phones and cash at gunpoint. Shops in small towns keep minimal cash on hand because they assume someone will show up to take it. None of this is normal, yet it has become normalized simply because people have lived with it for so long.
The states failure shows up in different ways. Police stations are understaffed, under-equipped or politically influenced. Officers get transferred frequently, which means no one builds long-term knowledge of the terrain or the local networks behind these crimes. Even when operations are announced, the impact is usually temporary. Criminal groups wait it out, shift location for a few days and return as soon as the pressure fades. Residents see this cycle and lose faith. They complain, they protest, but nothing seems to shift the structure.
Let me clear few things, I belong these rural areas & I realize there is a misunderstanding when I listen to officials. They deflect the situation by saying lack of resources, downplaying the severity, highlighting existing challenges, or these are tribal areas & issues. But what about us, our parents restrict us to void coming late, going alone somewhere, & these things are obstacles in our growth, education, economy, over all for development of Pakistan.
Security isn’t just about catching criminals. It is about restoring trust. Right now, that trust is thin. Until the state shows the will to confront both the criminals and the political networks that shield them, districts like Ghotki, Shikarpur and Kashmore will continue living in the shadow of fear.
Sincerely,
Junaid Ahmed
Sukkur IBA University