Karachi is not only Pakistan’s largest city but also the backbone of the national economy and the country’s most important center of economic activity. The city’s ports hold a central position in Pakistan’s int’l trade, while a significant share of the country’s industrial, commercial, banking, export, import, and business activities is connected to Karachi. Thousands of industries located in the city’s industrial areas also provide employment to millions of people moved to Karachi. This is why the law-and-order situation in Karachi is not merely a civic or administrative issue; its impact is directly felt by the national economy. The city contributes more than 60 percent of the revenue to the national exchequer. In a city with a population of more than 20 million, the role of the Pakistan Rangers, Sindh, in maintaining law and order has been significant. A joint security strategy involving the Rangers and police has contributed to improving the security environment in the city. The decline in crimes such as extortion and targeted killings helped restore confidence among citizens and the business community.
Against this backdrop, nearly two-year tenure of Director General Rangers Sindh, Major General Muhammad Shumraiz Khan, holds particular significance. He assumed command of Sindh Rangers in November 2024 at a time when citizens and the business community were deeply concerned about law-and-order conditions and street crime in Karachi. One of the notable features of his tenure was his direct engagement with the business community alongside his focus on security matters. During his tenure in Karachi, I had good interaction with Shumraiz Khan and always found him to be cheerful, energetic, and willing to listen to people’s problems. Whenever I brought a law-and-order issue in the city to his attention, he did not merely listen to it as a formality but gave it practical consideration. This was why his engagement with the business community was not limited to formal meetings or photo opportunities. Practical measures were taken to address the security concerns faced by business community. As a result, they felt more secure during Shumraiz Khan’s tenure.
During his tenure, Shumraiz Khan visited SITE Association and other industrial areas and met industrialists, making the security of industrial zones a priority. Security was not viewed merely in terms of roads and checkpoints; the protection of business and industrial activities was also given importance. At the same time, the joint security strategy of the Rangers and police sought to ensure the safety of the business community as well as foreign nationals.
When the business community learned that he would soon be leaving Karachi to assume new responsibilities in the Pakistan Army, there was a sense of both happiness and sadness over his departure. Before leaving, General Shumraiz Khan invited Karachi’s businessmen to a farewell meeting, which I also attended. I found the businessmen visibly saddened by his departure, and they appreciated his efforts for the city. During the meeting, I told him that after seeing and understanding Karachi’s problems from such close quarters, he could now present the city’s case more effectively in Islamabad. As an economic hub, Karachi continues to face numerous challenges related to water, transportation, infrastructure, roads, sewage, and other basic civic facilities. For a city that plays such an extraordinary role in the national economy, it is certainly a matter of concern that its residents still have to rely on water tankers, security arrangements, and alternative systems to meet basic needs. In his farewell address, DG Rangers said that he understood Karachi’s problems and would make every possible effort to help resolving them. He also expressed his commitment to maintaining the relationship he had established with the business community even after his departure from Karachi.
The Rangers deserve credit for the fact that when Karachi’s law & order situation was deteriorating in 2013, with incidents such as the discovery of human bodies in sacks becoming common, the Karachi operation was launched on the directives of Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif. The Rangers played a key role in the operation, and within a few years, Karachi’s economic and social life began to recover.
It would not be incorrect to say that this achievement would have not been possible without Rangers. When the Karachi operation began, Major General Rizwan Akhtar was leading Sindh Rangers. During the operation, in 2014 he was appointed Director General of Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI), while Major General Bilal Akhtar continued the operation as DG Rangers Sindh. In 2016, he was promoted and appointed Chief of General Staff of the Pakistan Army.
Shumraiz Khan has also been assigned an important responsibility in the ISI, a security institution of Pakistan Army, which further reflects the significance of his experience and responsibilities.
After meeting DG Rangers, as I was leaving, I noticed the Martyrs’ Memorial Wall in the compound of the building. The names of more than 155 Rangers officers and personnel who sacrificed their lives for peace in Karachi were inscribed on the wall. Looking at those names made me realize that the price of peace in the city is also reflected in the sacrifices of those soldiers whose loved ones lost their lives in the service of peace in the city.
I hope that the new DG Rangers Sindh will carry this tradition forward and maintain direct and effective engagement with the business community. Understanding the concerns of Karachi’s business circles, identifying their problems, and working with the relevant institutions to resolve them is essential for the city’s economic stability. Peace in Karachi is not merely a necessity for the citizens of Karachi; it is a necessity for Pakistan’s economy.
