Islamabad [Pakistan], July 17 : In a revelation that highlights deepening state dysfunction and governance failure, Pakistan's capital police have registered over a dozen cases involving the theft of public infrastructure, including benches, railings, grills, and even dustbins, from recreational sites across Islamabad in the past three years, Dawn News reported.
The startling figures were placed before the Senate by Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi in response to a query by opposition Senator Humayun Mohmand of Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf (PTI). The report paints a grim picture of urban lawlessness and the state's failure to protect even basic civic amenities, Dawn News noted.
Shockingly, police records suggest that the actual number of theft cases is higher than what the federal minister officially disclosed. While the Senate was informed of nine First Information Reports (FIRs), additional documents attached show at least three more incidents logged only in police diaries, raising serious questions about transparency and institutional credibility, Dawn News reported.
From F-9 Park to G-11 and I-8, Islamabad's public spaces have been systematically looted. Five cases alone were registered at Margalla Police Station, including the theft of fencing from F-9 Park in 2023. The Karachi Company police reported thefts of iron gates, benches, and bins from G-8 and G-9 parks. In one glaring instance, 60 steel garbage drums worth Rs 6 million were stolen from Rawal Town, yet this high-value theft is conspicuously absent from the minister's written statement, Dawn News revealed.
Interior Ministry documents also failed to mention how many perpetrators were arrested or prosecuted. While some FIRs mention culprits being caught by guards, no follow-up action is detailed. The absence of accountability reinforces the growing perception that Pakistan's law enforcement machinery is either complicit or entirely incapable, Dawn News reported.
Analysts say this embarrassing pattern of civic theft is a stark reflection of Pakistan's decaying urban governance. As state resources disappear into corruption and neglect, even public parks are now vulnerable to the very lawlessness that Islamabad claims to fight, Dawn News concluded.