Zia-ul-Hasan Lanjar: Karachi Ranks 170th in Dangerous Cities, Safer Than New York

Sindh Home Minister Zia-ul-Hasan Lanjar made a bold and headline-grabbing assertion in the Sindh Assembly on Sunday, claiming that Karachi is not only a better city than New York but is now demonstrably safer — citing the city’s improved global ranking among the world’s most dangerous urban centers.

Karachi Belongs to Everyone, Will Remain Sindh’s Capital

Opening his address, Lanjar struck an inclusive tone, emphasizing that Karachi is a city that belongs to all of its residents regardless of ethnic or linguistic background — Sindhis, Urdu speakers, Punjabis, and all other communities alike. He firmly dismissed any suggestion that the city’s status as Sindh’s provincial capital was under threat or open to political negotiation. “Karachi is and will remain the capital of Sindh. It will not be moved here or there through speeches,” he stated.

Safer Than New York

The minister pointed to Karachi’s current global safety ranking as evidence of meaningful progress in law and order under the provincial government. He noted that Karachi now sits at 170th position among the world’s most dangerous cities — a ranking he argued places it in a more favorable position than New York in comparative global safety assessments.

However, Lanjar also acknowledged that significant challenges remain. He identified motorcycle theft as one of the city’s most persistent and damaging crime problems, calling for urgent legislative action to address it. “Theft won’t come down until trackers are made mandatory on bikes,” he said, signaling that the government intends to pursue regulatory measures to combat the issue.

Zero Tolerance Warning to All — Including MPAs

Turning to the opposition, Lanjar invoked the memory of the 1992 law enforcement operation in Karachi, noting that his own party had been in opposition at the time and that PPP supporters had also been affected by the crackdown. “MQM friends were part of the government then, we were in opposition and our people were also arrested,” he recalled.

The minister alleged that deliberate efforts had been made across successive eras to keep Karachi in a state of instability, and he served notice that the current PPP government would not permit a return to that environment under any circumstances. “There will be no compromise on law and order. If you’re taking us back to 1992, anyone who takes the law into their own hands, even an MPA, will face action,” he warned — a pointed signal that elected representatives would not be exempt from accountability.

No Return to Era of ‘Body Bags’

Lanjar also made a direct reference to one of the darkest chapters of Karachi’s recent history, rejecting any return to the era of extrajudicial killings and dumped bodies. The PPP government, he said, would not allow the reappearance of so-called ‘bori-band’ bodies — a term associated with the targeted killings that plagued the city during periods of intense political and ethnic violence. “If body bags are your party policy, it’s wrong,” he said bluntly.

Concluding his remarks, the minister pushed back against what he described as deliberate distortions of Sindh’s political and legislative history, pointing out that many current assembly members are descendants of representatives who served in the 1935 provincial assembly — a body that included 85 Sindhi Muslim members who were landowners of standing at the time.