Organised crime challenges

Organised crime in Pakistan is not just thriving — it’s morphing into a monster with many heads, each feeding off the country’s vulnerabilities. From drug and human trafficking to cybercrime and firearm smuggling, Pakistan has become both a breeding ground and a transit corridor for criminal empires. The opium trade, once deeply rooted in Afghanistan, is now slowly shifting into Pakistan, with thousands of hectares being used for poppy cultivation. Meanwhile, human trafficking and migrant smuggling continue to bleed the nation of its dignity, as thousands are sold into bonded labour or pushed illegally across borders. Cybercriminals have jumped on the bandwagon, using dark web channels and cryptocurrencies to outsmart law enforcers and launder billions. The situation has gone from bad to worse because agencies operate in silos, corruption runs deep, and crime networks enjoy political patronage.

These crime syndicates don’t just pull the strings from behind the curtain — they’ve embedded themselves into the very fabric of our society. Urban mafias, tribal smugglers, and militant-linked criminals operate freely, armed with modern tech and old-school intimidation. Their tactics range from brute violence to cunning financial manoeuvres, all while exploiting poor governance, unemployment, and judicial inefficiency. Pakistan’s fragmented approach to tackling organised crime lacks both bite and vision. Without a unified crime database, coordinated strategy, and institutional reform, the country risks becoming a haven for criminals. The writer makes a clarion call for a whole-of-government approach rooted in prevention, prosecution, protection, and partnerships to pull Pakistan back from the brink.

Overview:

The article provides a sweeping account of the multi-dimensional threat posed by organised crime in Pakistan. It covers various types of criminal activities — drugs, human smuggling, cybercrime, and firearms — and how they’re interlinked with corruption, poverty, institutional weaknesses, and political apathy. It offers a roadmap with four pillars: prevent, pursue, protect, and promote partnerships.

NOTES:

This article is an important piece of writing for aspirants looking into topics like internal security, governance, transnational crimes, institutional reform, and socio-political challenges. It blends criminology with public policy and offers real data and grounded insights into Pakistan’s criminal justice landscape. The article also demonstrates how weak state institutions and a lack of coordination among law enforcement agencies allow crime to evolve into deeply entrenched systems.

Relevant CSS Syllabus Topics or Subjects:

• Pakistan Affairs: Law and order, internal security challenges
• Current Affairs: Governance, transnational crime, FATF
• Criminology: Organised crime, cybercrime, human trafficking
• Public Administration: Institutional coordination and policy failures
• Gender Studies: Exploitation of women in trafficking
• International Relations: Pakistan’s image, cross-border crime dynamics

Notes for beginners:

Organised crime refers to coordinated illegal activities carried out by groups aiming to make money or gain influence. In Pakistan, this includes drug smuggling (like the shift of poppy cultivation from Afghanistan to Pakistan after 2022), human trafficking (where 26,539 victims were identified in 2022), and migrant smuggling (with over 154,000 Pakistanis deported from 2021 to 2023). Cybercrime is growing fast, too, with criminals using technology for scams, blackmail, and laundering money. Criminals take advantage of poor people, weak laws, and corruption in government. For example, the article notes that over 5,000 Pakistanis were deported from Saudi Arabia in 2024–25 for being trafficked for begging. These crimes are harder to fight because government agencies don’t share data and work separately.

Facts and Figures:

• 1,800 hectares of poppy under cultivation in Pakistan (2023)
• 26,539 trafficking victims identified in 2022
• 75% of those trafficked were women
• 80,000 to 100,000 people attempt irregular migration annually
• 154,205 individuals deported between 2021 and 2023
• ANF seized 176 metric tons of narcotics in 2024
• Over 5,000 deportations from Saudi Arabia due to begging-related trafficking

To put it simply, organised crime in Pakistan is no longer operating in the shadows — it’s sitting at the table, making the rules. The article is a call to policymakers, law enforcement, and civil society alike. Without collective action, backed by a comprehensive national strategy and institutional reforms, crime will continue to spread like wildfire. It’s time to nip it in the bud before the roots go too deep to pull out.

Difficult Words and Meanings:

1. Entrenched – firmly established (Syn: rooted, embedded; Ant: temporary)
2. Servitude – the state of being enslaved (Syn: bondage; Ant: freedom)
3. Coercion – use of force to gain compliance (Syn: compulsion; Ant: consent)
4. Proceeds – money obtained from an event or activity (Syn: revenue; Ant: losses)
5. Anecdotal – based on personal accounts, not facts (Syn: unverified; Ant: empirical)
6. Disaggregated – separated into component parts (Syn: broken down; Ant: aggregated)
7. Symbiosis – mutually beneficial relationship (Syn: interdependence; Ant: independence)