Ten more citizens were shot down in Karachi alone on Saturday, while there were reports of suicide bombing in Quetta leaving six persons dead and a drone attack in Fata killing four – all of this indicates a crumbling law and order situation. Random acts of terror have been on the increase even during this holy month; yet they are a part of the violence that has become a bane of our society. One particular worry is the repeated attacks on Shias that are partly carried out to ratchet up sectarian tension in the country. And hardly a day goes by without the troublemakers killing people in Balochistan, with areas resembling a warzone.

To see Karachi, the country’s industrial hub, go up in flames is, indeed, disconcerting. The pity is that PPP setup along with the provincial governments that share the law and order responsibility with the centre according to the Constitution are not as much responsive to the problem as they ought to be. Measures like arranging special flights for Shia travellers going to their homes in northern areas appear more of a publicity stunt. The need is to bring criminals, target killers and their backers to task.