Pak's Karachi turned into police state as law enforcement exploits lockdown for money

Since the provincial government of Pakistan's Sindh had announced strict lockdown measures in wake of the third COVID-19 wave, it has been found that restrictions in Karachi are becoming a money-making opportunity for law enforcement personnel.

According to Daily Times, in several suburbs, the police have collaborated with the local administration to allow local businesses to stay open till late night, flouting government restrictions.

The police and the local administration have reportedly set an hourly rate for letting the business operate beyond 6 pm and shopkeepers have alleged that the police are forcing them to comply with the rates.

Furthermore, the law enforcement personnel are willingly letting the movement of people go unabated and are thrashing journalists who are reporting on the Sindh government's restrictions to stop them from exposing the blatant violations of rules and regulations.

While talking to Daily Times, the city's electronic market association, All Karachi Tajir Ittehad's chairman Atiq Mir said that the provincial government has immensely disturbed the business community in the metropolis by imposing lockdowns to mint money through police and other departments in the name of enforcing COVID-19 restrictions.

He said that the Sindh government took businessmen and citizens hostage and turned Karachi into a police state.

Meanwhile, Muttahida Qaumi Movement-Pakistan (MQM-P) legislators in Sindh Assembly strongly condemned the conversion of Karachi into a police state saying that the Sindh Government, saying that it is violating the self-esteem of citizens and violating their rights.

Pak Sarzameen Party Chairman Syed Mustafa Kamal also alleged that in the name of the lockdown, the government officials had been abusing and extorting traders, and the police had been picking them up, locking them up and releasing them after minting millions of rupees in extortion, reported Daily Times.

A prominent journalist on social media remarked that if the COVID-19 lockdown in Sindh was extended by six more months, the police would be able to pay off the entire debt of Pakistan.

As COVID-19 cases are rapidly surging in Pakistan, the cumulative count of infections in the country crossed the 900,000-mark on Sunday.

( With inputs from ANI )