Pakistan sees alarming spike in crime with rising cases of murder, gang rape and kidnappings

Islamabad, April 11 (IANS) Over 11,074 murders, 2,142 cases of gang rape, and 34,688 cases of kidnapping or abductions took place across Pakistan in 2024, a latest official crime statistics report has revealed highlighting that the country's capital Islamabad reported most cases of gang rape than all other provinces combined.

Citing officially reported crime statistics, Pakistan's News International reported that the province of Punjab reported the highest (2046) of the total of 2142 gang rape cases in Pakistan in 2024, more than the combined figures of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) and Balochistan.

As per the statistics, the province of Sindh reported 71 cases of gang rape. In KP, one gang rape and 402 cases of adultery were recorded in the past year.

In Islamabad, a total of 22 cases of gang rape and 125 cases of adultery were reported. In Balochistan, 43 cases of adultery were reported.

Taking into account the cases of kidnapping/abduction, the report stated that cumulatively, 34,688 cases of kidnapping/abduction were reported across Pakistan in 2024.

Out of this, a total of 28,702 cases of kidnapping or abduction were reported only from the province of Punjab in 2024, which was the highest reported among other provinces.

The officially reported crime statistics reflected that 4,331 kidnappings or abductions were reported in Sindh province.

Additionally, 533 from KP, 406 from Balochistan, 238 from Islamabad, and 370 cases of kidnappings or abductions were reported from Pakistan-occupied Kashmir in the past year.

The crime report further exposes the grim reality of human rights situation across Pakistani provinces.

Massive riots also gripped Pakistan last year with the report revealing as many as 4,533 cases across the country. While Punjab province reported two cases of riots, Sindh (3,472), KP (12), Balochistan (292), and PoK (557) also witnessed rising cases of riots in 2024.

--IANS

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