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Karachi continues to struggle with rising street crime, but the justice system has failed to convict most offenders, with over 1300 cases disposed of in 2024.
As per media reports, the courts disposed of 1,355 street crime cases in 2024, but only 83 convictions were recorded, resulting in a conviction rate of just 6.13 percent, while 1,272 cases (93.87 percent) ended in acquittals, highlighting serious flaws in the legal process.
By the end of December 2024, 2,921 cases were still pending in Karachi courts, showing an increasing backlog. Compared to 2023, when 2,583 cases were resolved with 283 convictions (10.96 percent), the situation has worsened.
The conviction rates for street crime cases in Karachi vary significantly across its districts, with some showing extremely low numbers.
In District East, a total of 444 cases were disposed of, but only 42 convictions were secured, leading to a conviction rate of 9.46 percent.
In Malir, the situation was even more concerning. 398 cases were decided, but only 9 convictions were achieved, resulting in a shockingly low conviction rate of just 2.26 percent.
READ: Karachi reports over 10,000 street crime incidents in two months
District West also faced a similar issue, with 219 cases being disposed of, but only 7 convictions were secured, yielding a conviction rate of 3.20 percent.
In District Central, 159 cases were resolved, but again, only 9 convictions were reached, leading to a 5.66 percent conviction rate.
District South saw 135 cases disposed of, with 16 convictions, resulting in a relatively higher conviction rate of 11.85 percent.
These district-wise statistics reveal a troubling trend of low conviction rates across Karachi, underlining the systemic issues that hinder the successful prosecution of street crime cases.
Legal experts blame poor investigations, weak prosecution, and lack of evidence for the alarming acquittal rate.
Senior lawyer Shaukat Hayat believes the failure of the police, prosecution, and courts is responsible. He said poor police investigations and lack of solid evidence lead to frequent acquittals of alleged criminals.
“The prosecution does not properly scrutinize charge sheets, leaving flaws that defense lawyers can easily exploit,” he explained.
He also pointed out that many complainants give up on cases due to long court delays. In some instances, innocent people are wrongly accused along with criminals, further weakening cases.
