Every third person living in Karachi has a story to tell – mostly about how their cell phone or wallet was snatched when they were mugged at gunpoint. I am one of those lucky people, thank God, who has never been mugged or assaulted. But had I not made a narrow escape during last week’s incident, I would definitely not have been able to maintain this claim today. We were commuting to office early in the morning when we noticed two motorbikes following us. The passengers on these bikes had their hands in their pockets. As we approached a speed-breaker, the van slowed down and we heard them yelling at each other to stop the van from the front. The way it was all being done, I could have sworn they had been observing us for days. They knew that the van would stop to at a nearby street to pick up a colleague. To ambush us, they turned into a street before the one we were going to take, but our van driver had caught on to their plan and decided not to turn into that lane. Our driver made a quick decision, changed the transit and saved us. The area I am talking about is considered one of the posh areas of Gulshan-e-Iqbal, as it is home to luxurious bungalows and some high-profile personalities, but the almost-empty streets and nearby slums make it an easy point of target. Residents of the vicinity installed barriers on their own expense as a self-help measure, which have now been removed in wake of the ongoing barriers hatao muhim (barrier removal campaign) by the rangers, leaving the locals at the mercy of muggers and dacoits. DG Pakistan Rangers (Sindh), Major General Bilal Akbar on March 20, 2015 gave a 72-hour ultimatum to citizens to remove illegal barricades as they restrict free movement for citizens, law enforcement personnel and emergency workers. Despite rising security concerns, many dwellers removed their barriers voluntarily while more than 125 were removed by the rangers. The issue of removing these barricades raises some important questions: Why did the residents feel the need to install barriers in the first place? The city situation is not as under control as portrayed by law enforcement agencies. According to a CPLC report, approximately 33,057 cell phones were snatched and stolen from Karachi alone, during October 2013 – September 2014, and most incidents occurred in the area of Gulshan-e-Iqbal. Another report by Overseas Security Advisory Council (OSAC) termed 2013 the deadliest year for Karachi, following the killings of 2,715 civilians and 191 police and rangers’ officials, 108 kidnappings, 519 cases of extortion, 3,082 cases of robbery, 4,068 vehicle thefts, 22,284 motorcycle thefts and 10,501 cell phone thefts. These figures are recorded by the Sindh police and rangers while many other crimes remain unreported. With such rising crime rates and poor law and order situation, where a police officer laughs in your face if try to lodge an FIR of a low-end cell phone theft, what would the rangers expect from citizens to do if not to take self-security measures? Do all barriers create hurdles? Many of the barriers placed in Karachi’s Jamshed Town, Gulshan-e-Iqbal Town, North Nazimabad Town and Korangi Town by the public are boom barriers which control the vehicular access from entrance and exit points. These barriers, unlike those installed near Nine-zero or Bilawal House, are not made of concrete that hinder free movement or create difficulty in case of emergencies. They can be operated manually to allow authorised vehicles such as emergency services and buses to take advantage of the shorter and more direct route. Some of the town administrations even have security guards or chowkidaars to operate these barriers round the clock. Concrete barriers or those that are left unattended should be removed but does it make sense to remove those that are not doing any harm? Are authorities practicing what they are preaching? We live in a country where rules, regulations, bans, orders and restrictions are only applicable to one segment – the masses; everyone else is above the law. Sindh Special Home Secretary Collin Kamran Dost has emphasised that except for barriers installed in the proximity of foreign missions, all others are illegal and the town administration cannot allow residents to place obstructions. He forgot to mention about the fate of barriers erected in front of Rangers Headquarters at Dr Ziauddin Ahmed Road, which causes traffic jams and creates trouble for the public. Is the ultimatum issued by DG Rangers not applicable to himself? Which places should be exempted? Removal of barriers has troubled religious and educational institutions, which are under severe threat of being blown up by banned outfits. While other precautionary steps were taken by school administrations after the APS massacre, barriers were also installed at some places to ensure safety. Despite this, at least three schools have come under hand grenade attacks in Karachi and several religious places (including mosques, imambargahs and churches) are bombed throughout the country since the beginning of the year. Instead of exempting those who already have a heavy contingent of police and personal guards to protect themselves, high-risk locations such as schools, media houses and places of worship should be exempted from this order. Who will be responsible for the security then? Are the government and law enforcement agencies providing any alternative to meet the security challenges and concerns of people? If not, who will be held liable for the loss/ theft of residents’ properties, belongings and lives? While removing the obstacles from the metropolis, authorities should also provide effective solutions to help insecure citizens. I too demand the complete removal of obstructions from public places but does anyone dare to take our responsibility and guarantee our security?