Extortion a serious concern in Karachi: Home Minister
Confirms Lyari gang ringleaders operating from Iran
KARACHI: Sindh Home Minister Ziaul Hassan Lanjar on Friday said that the issue of extortion in Karachi was a serious concern, warning that no one would be allowed to harass traders or disrupt business activity in the city.
Addressing a press conference in Karachi, Lanjar said that some traders had received threats for refusing to pay extortion money, adding that the government wanted business to thrive.
He revealed that two key ringleaders of the Lyari gang war — Wasiullah Lakho and Abdul Samad Kathiawari — are currently residing in Iran, confirming that efforts are underway to bring them back to Pakistan to face trial. Lanjar said the provincial government has written to the Ministry of Interior to issue red warrants for the suspects’ arrest. Lanjar said Kathiawari had been operating from Iran and that a dedicated web portal has been launched by the Special Investigation Unit (SIU) for traders to file complaints directly.
“We will not permit anyone to intimidate citizens or businessmen,” he asserted. The minister revealed that four suspects involved in extortion were killed in police encounters, while three others were arrested in an injured condition during ongoing operations.
Taking aim at the Punjab government, the home minister claimed that dacoits looted travellers for eight hours on a Punjab motorway without media coverage, whereas Sindh’s highways remained secure. “Sindh police officers are working diligently at every level. Our motorways remain peaceful — without convoys — unlike in parts of Punjab such as Multan,” he remarked.
On the occasion, Additional Inspector General (AIG) Karachi Javed Alam Odho said that CIA and SIU units had arrested more than 20 extortionists in the past two weeks. He added that 118 cases of extortion were reported this year, of which 44 stemmed from personal disputes. Odho said police had arrested 43 extortionists over the past year and continued pursuing those involved in the killing of police officials. He further shared that street crime in Karachi had fallen by 28%, while vehicle-snatching incidents declined by 19%, attributing the improvement to enhanced policing and intelligence-based operations. Staff Report
