Karachi, An Orphaned City Where Justice, Peace and the Rule of Law Have Vanished

The true identity of any society is not defined by its towering buildings, expansive highways, modern technology, or economic prosperity. The true measure of a society lies in how it treats the weak and to what extent it holds the powerful accountable before the law. When the law becomes harsh for the poor and lenient towards the wealthy; when the oppressed keep knocking on doors of justice while their voices are silenced by the influence of the powerful; and when wealth, position and connections begin to tilt the scales of justice, the question is no longer about an individual or a single case. It becomes a question about the entire system of justice.

That is precisely the question now emerging from the streets, neighborhoods and homes of Karachi.

Karachi: A City Where Citizens Feel Unsafe in Their Own City. Street crime is not a new phenomenon in Karachi. But its intensity and persistence have transformed it from merely a crime problem into a fundamental question of citizens’ right to life and security. According to the Citizens-Police Liaison Committee (CPLC), Karachi recorded 5,204 street-crime incidents in August 2026, the highest monthly figure in the preceding seven months. During the same month, 44 people lost their lives in violent incidents, while the total number of reported street-crime cases during the first eight months of the year reached 39,098. These are not merely statistics. Behind every number is a home, a mother, a father, a wife, a child and an entire family. Sometimes a citizen is shot while attempting to protect his mobile phone. Sometimes a young man returning home is killed by armed robbers. Sometimes the victim is a shopkeeper, a laborer or a student. In July, even in a relatively affluent neighborhood such as PECHS, a citizen was reportedly killed after resisting a robbery.

The question is simple: What is the value of a citizen’s life? Is the responsibility of the state merely to register an FIR after a crime has occurred, send the police to the scene, transfer the body to a hospital, and then allow another tragedy to become tomorrow’s headline? Or is the responsibility of the state far greater than that?

The Mir Raza Ali Case: More Than a Murder, A Question of Public Trust in Justice. The case of Mir Raza Ali has raised similar questions in the minds of citizens.

The death of the young Karachi-based businessman became a high-profile case. Subsequently, reports emerged of serious shortcomings in the investigation, including alleged problems concerning the crime scene, the post-mortem process and the preservation of important evidence. The matter eventually reached the point where, following approval by the Sindh Cabinet, a judicial commission was constituted to investigate the case. The issue here is not to declare anyone guilty before the conclusion of a lawful investigation. The question is much more fundamental: If the preservation of evidence and the basic stages of an investigation become subjects of controversy in a citizen’s death, how can an ordinary person continue to place his trust in the justice system? This is precisely where the distinction between having laws and actually delivering justice becomes evident. Having laws written in books is not enough.

The law must be implemented. Evidence must be preserved. Investigations must be impartial. And justice must be delivered without unnecessary delay.

Roshum Khan: The Death of a 15-Year-Old Hafiz-e-Quran. And then came the tragic incident in Manghopir that once again shook the people of Karachi. According to reports, 15-year-old Roshum Khan, a Hafiz-e-Quran and student, was killed when armed robbers opened fire during a robbery at his home. He was reportedly the only brother of eight sisters. His parents even demanded that their son should not be buried until the perpetrators were arrested. They have continued to sit there, steadfast in their grief, waiting for justice. Just imagine. On one side was a 15-year-old child whose life had barely begun. On the other were armed men who appeared to have no fear of the law, no respect for human life and no regard for basic morality. If a citizen is not safe even inside his own home, then where does the promise of state protection stand? Roshum Khan is not merely a name.

He represents the fear in which countless ordinary citizens of Karachi are being forced to live.

The Quranic Command: Uphold Justice Even Against Yourself

In circumstances such as these, we must turn to the Quran.

ALLAH Almighty says:

“O you who believe! Stand firmly for justice, as witnesses for Allah, even if it be against yourselves, your parents, or your relatives.”
(Surah An-Nisa, 4:135)

This verse makes it clear that the standard of justice is not wealth, position, relationships or power. The standard is truth.

The Quran further says:

“Do not let the hatred of a people cause you to depart from justice. Be just; that is nearer to righteousness.”
(Surah Al-Ma’idah, 5:8)

If the Quran does not permit injustice even in the face of hostility, then how can the standards of justice be altered because of a person’s wealth, political status, social standing or connections? And then comes this warning:

“And do not incline toward those who do wrong, lest the Fire touch you.”
(Surah Hud, 11:113)

This is not merely a warning to the oppressor. It is also a question for all those who witness injustice, understand it, yet remain silent before the powerful.

The Prophetic Principle: The Law Must Be Equal for All

The Prophet Muhammad ﷺ established an exceptionally clear principle regarding equality before the law. When a woman from a noble family was found guilty of theft and an attempt was made to intercede on her behalf, the Prophet ﷺ said:

“The people before you were destroyed because when a noble person among them committed theft, they let him go; but when a weak person committed theft, they imposed the punishment upon him.”

He then said:

“By Allah, even if Fatimah, the daughter of Muhammad, were to steal, I would cut off her hand.”
(Sahih al-Bukhari; Sahih Muslim)

This is not merely a reference to a particular punishment. It is a fundamental Islamic declaration against double standards in the application of law. When the law becomes harsh for the poor and lenient for the powerful, the spirit of justice itself is wounded.

Where Should the Oppressed Go? The Prophet ﷺ also said:

“Beware of the supplication of the oppressed, for there is no barrier between it and Allah.”
(Sahih al-Bukhari; Sahih Muslim)

Ask the families of those Karachi citizens who lost their sons, brothers, husbands or fathers over mobile phones, cash or other trivial material gains. For them, these are not statistics.

They are wounds that may never heal. And when an oppressed person begins to feel that his voice is weaker simply because he lacks wealth, connections or influence, the problem is no longer merely about one crime. It becomes a crisis of public trust in the state. The responsibility of the state is not limited to finding criminals after a crime has been committed. The state’s fundamental responsibility is also to establish an effective system capable of protecting citizens before crime occurs.

A Saying Attributed to Hazrat Ali (RA). A famous saying is attributed to Hazrat Ali (RA):

“A state may survive with disbelief, but it cannot survive with injustice.”

Scholarly caution is appropriate regarding the authenticity of this attribution. Nevertheless, the underlying idea is consistent with the fundamental Islamic concept of justice:

The stability of a state depends not merely on its power, but on its justice.

The Question Is Not Only About Robbers One point must be made absolutely clear: Robbers, murderers and criminals are responsible for their own crimes. Nothing can justify their actions. But a serious discussion about the state must go beyond the criminals themselves. Does an ordinary citizen have the confidence that if injustice is inflicted upon him, the state will stand beside him? That question is not directed only at the police. It is also directed at the courts, the administration, legislators and society as a whole.

What Kind of Karachi Do We Want? We do not want a Karachi where a citizen leaves home wondering whether he will return safely. We do not want a Karachi where a mother worries more about her son’s life than about the mobile phone he carries. We do not want a city where, after every murder, there is public outrage for a few days, only for the case to eventually disappear from the headlines. And we certainly do not want a system in which justice moves swiftly for those who possess resources, connections or influence while the powerless are left waiting.

We need a system in which the life of a poor citizen is considered as valuable as the life of a wealthy one. A system in which the complaint of an ordinary citizen receives the same seriousness as the complaint of an influential person. A system in which the law is neither used as an instrument of revenge against anyone nor allowed to become a shield for anyone. We need a system in which the police maintain professional standards in investigations, evidence is properly preserved, prosecution is effective, courts deliver timely decisions, and criminals cannot assume that weaknesses within the system will enable them to escape accountability.

The Quran’s answer is clear:

Uphold justice.

The principle of the Prophet ﷺ is clear:

The law must be equal for everyone.

And history offers the same lesson:

When the weak lose faith in justice, the foundations of the state itself begin to weaken.

Therefore, what Karachi needs today is not merely another operation against crime. It needs something deeper: The restoration of public confidence in the entire system of justice. Because a safe city is not merely one where there are fewer robbers. A truly safe city is one where every citizen has the confidence that if injustice is committed against him, the state will not remain silent.