KARACHI - The custodians of law and order have utterly failed to carry out their duty in eliminating the alleged target killings and other kinds of heinous crimes in Karachi. The Sindh government is spending billions of rupees on Rangers and recently it gave them the police powers but unfortunately they have not delivered what was expected of them. This was evident on Wednesday when hooligans and criminals attacked the houses of poor law-abiding citizens in Qasba Colony and Orangi. During search operation in the area, the law enforcers brought out the people from their homes and assembled them in an insecure open place which gave an opportunity to criminal elements, hiding on the hilltop to open fire on the innocents, which resulted in bullets wounds to a number of people. Instead of acting quickly to save the trapped families whose houses were set on fire and their lives were at the mercy of the criminal element, Rangers kept at a distance and did not intervene. Political analysts feel that Rangers should have acted to save the lives and properties of the innocent and catch the criminals but it did not happen. Similar is the case with Karachi police which was not seen to come to the rescue of the innocents after the assassination of MQM MPA Syed Raza Haider. It is the prime responsibility of these institutions to ensure law and order and to arrest the criminals but instead they have accused political pressure for not doing so. Almost a similar kind of incident occurred in December 1996 after the provincial government led by Syed Ghous Ali Shah, carried out an operation against smugglers, drug-peddlers and arms traffickers. They were operating with impunity in Sohrab Goth and were confident that no action would be taken against them. But when they were rooted out from their hideouts in Sohrab Goth, they waited to take revenge from the locals whom they blamed for the operation. Two months after the operation, they attacked Aligarh and Qasba Colony, mercilessly killed defenceless people and disgraced womenfolk. Even couple of women and kids were allegedly thrown into the fire. This mayhem continued for four hours but the police, which was given the power to intervene stayed put without taking any action. Though an inquiry was carried out against the on duty magistrate and high police officials for their inaction but no action was taken against them and neither the report was made public. Not only the writ of the custodian of law and order was missing during the current crisis but even the Sindh cabinet was not visible. The PPP which is the leading coalition partner was involved in more serious matter of defending London visit of President Asif Zardari. Since outspoken Sindh Home Minister Dr Zulfiqar Mirza who never misses an opportunity to appear on TV Channels also kept quite for some unknown reason. It is publicly known fact that whenever Dr Mirza spoke, he had made the issue messier. It could be one of the reasons that he may have been advised to keep quite because the high officials knew that he would only complicate things. Federal Interior Minister Rehman Malik should have rushed the city the day MPA was killed but it takes his own time to reach Karachi after the dance of death had ended. His early presence may have forced the law defenders to be more active. It looked that there was a method in the madness. And inactive role played by law enforcers may be part of that method.