Corruption of power within a democracy shatters the trust between civilians and their leaders. In Pakistan, decades of dysfunction and rivalry between politicians, police, military and the judiciary vying for power has resulted in neglect of the citizens they are charged to serve. Pakistanis are resentful, viewing these institutions as morally bankrupt. The role of protecting people and reducing inequity has in areas such as education, healthcare and security, failed. The War on Terror has further fragmented the geo-political, economic and social landscape of Pakistan with spill-over from Afghanistan creating a deteriorating security crisis. I am documenting various facets of this crisis focusing on challenges faced by police, the criminal justice system, reform efforts and the impact on citizens.
Supporters of Difa-e-Pakistan (DPC) or Pakistan Defence Council attend a rally at Aabpara Chowk, Islamabad, Pakistan on February 20, 2012. The DPC is an umbrella coalition representing 40 parties that include organistaions blacklisted at home and abroad as terror groups. Chairman of the council Maulana Samiul Haq has stated that their key objectives are US intervention in Pakistan and the blockade of NATO supply routes through Pakistani territory to Afghanistan.
Men and boys beat their chests in mourning on the 8th day of Muharram, Karachi, Pakistan on November 23, 2012. Muharram is an important period of mourning in Shia Islam, taking place in the first month of the Islamic calendar. Over recent years, Pakistan has braced for sectarian attacks on Shia muslims during the holy month with Pakistani security forces under resourced to meet the demands of protecting the community during the period resulting in casualties from bomb attacks. Militant groups including the Pakistani Taliban have claimed responsibility for the attacks although destabilisation of the security infrascture is often perceived as the main motivation by attacks rather than just sectarianism.
A boy scout stands watch while others within his team undertake the duty of frisking civilians for weapons and bombs before entering a mosque on the 8th day of Muharram, Karachi, Pakistan on November 23, 2012. Muharram is an important period of mourning in Shia Islam, taking place in the first month of the Islamic calendar. Over recent years, Pakistan has braced for sectarian attacks on Shia muslims during the holy month with Pakistani security forces under resourced to meet the demands of protecting the community during the period resulting in casualties from bomb attacks. Militant groups including the Pakistani Taliban have claimed responsibility for the attacks although destabilisation of the security infrasture is often perceived as the main motivation by attacks rather than just sectarianism.
Bystanders regard the Marriott Hotel go up in flames in Islamabad, Pakistan on September 20, 2008. A truck filled with explosives detonated in front of the Marriott Hotel killing at least 54 and injuring hundreds of people,mostly Pakistanis. The bombing occurred hours after President Asif Ali Zardari first speech to parliament. The Pakistani government is a major partner in the US War on Terror and is facing major internal strife with a failing economy, a nationalist insurgency, deteriorating relations with India as well as Taliban and Al Qaeda operating within the country's tribal regions. Both of which organisations were suspected of carrying out the attack.
Army personal stand guard on the day of national elections in Karachi, Pakistan on May 11, 2013. With Pakistani Taliban attacks killing over 120 people leading up to election day as they targeted mainstream secular political parties. 70,000 army troops were deployed natiowide to provide added security to an under resourced police force.
An Ahmadi teenage boy lifts his shirt in his family home to expose a deep scar in Rabwah, Pakistan in 2011. The scar is grisly reminder for the boy of an attempted murder attempt by a Sunni extremist. The Ahmadiyya population in Pakistan has often come under persecution and discrimination under the Sunni majority.
A member of Lashkar-e-Jhangvi, an extremist sunni group stands shackled awaiting trial at the anti-terror court in Karachi, Pakistan on May 9, 2013. The suspect is accused of shooting the principal of a Shia college and also assassinating police officers connected to high profile terrorist cases where Lashkar-e-Jhangvi was involved. Many witnesses do not submit testimonies at trials because of threat of being killed. Prosecutors and judges are also targeted and often will drop cases due to fear for their lives. In these cases many suspects walk free and the conviction rate stands at under 10%.
Police Officers sit in a station in Karachi with a picture of a martyred soldier hanging on the wall on May 15, 2013. Policemen and high ranking officers have been targeted in assassinations by Taliban militants within the city in recent years. Vying for territorial control within the vast city, Taliban have pushed out the police from some areas in bombing campaigns crushing the moral of the police forces.
A portrait of Pakistan's founder Muhammad Ali Jinnah on a wall at Chung Police College, Lahore Punjab Province, Pakistan on April 2, 2013.
An army officer directs parade movements at Chung Police College, Lahore Punjab Province, Pakistan on April 2, 2013. Army trainers were introduced to Chung in recent years to improve the standard of training at the college. Reforms and capacity building initiatives are being implemented to better equip the Punjab Police to face challenges of increased crime, public order problems and terrorism.
Police officers stand at a roll call at Chung Police College, Lahore Punjab Province, Pakistan on April 2, 2013.
A Police Officer works in the Forensics Training Centre at Chung Police College, Lahore Punjab Province, Pakistan on April 2, 2013. T
Family members hold photos and signs at a Missing Persons Rally in Islamabad on February 15, 2014. Thousands of Paksitanis have been secretly abducted since the United States invasion of Afghanistan with the internal security and intelligence agencies being accused by human rights groups as responsible. Some of those that go missing have ties to Sindhi or Balochi Independence groups, many others supposed links to terrorist organisations operating in the country.
A coffin holding a teenage girl, awaits
A police officer sits atop of an armoured vehicle during a parade on 10th day of Muharram, Karachi, Pakistan on November 25, 2012. Muharram is an important period of mourning in Shia Islam, taking place in the first month of the Islamic calendar. Over recent years, Pakistan has braced for sectarian attacks on Shia muslims during the holy month with Pakistani security forces under resourced to meet the demands of protecting the community during the period resulting in casualties from bomb attacks. Militant groups including the Pakistani Taliban have claimed responsibility for the attacks although destabilisation of the security infrasture is often perceived as the main motivation by attacks rather than just sectarianism.
A Shia Muslim teenage boy receives first aid after self inflicting cuts on his head during a parade on 10th day of Muharram, Karachi, Pakistan on November 25, 2012. Muharram is an important period of mourning in Shia Islam, taking place in the first month of the Islamic calendar. Over recent years, Pakistan has braced for sectarian attacks on Shia muslims during the holy month with Pakistani security forces under resourced to meet the demands of protecting the community during the period resulting in casualties from bomb attacks. Militant groups including the Pakistani Taliban have claimed responsibility for the attacks although destabilisation of the security infrasture is often perceived as the main motivation by attacks rather than just sectarianism.
A man leaves a mosque in the days following national elections in Karachi, Pakistan on May 15, 2013. With Pakistani Taliban attacks killing over 120 people leading up to election day as they targeted mainstream secular political parties. 70,000 army troops were deployed nationwide to provide added security to an under resourced police force.
A Shia Muslim boy walks through a parade on 10th day of Muharram, Karachi, Pakistan on November 25, 2012. Muharram is an important period of mourning in Shia Islam, taking place in the first month of the Islamic calendar. Over recent years, Pakistan has braced for sectarian attacks on Shia muslims during the holy month with Pakistani security forces under resourced to meet the demands of protecting the community during the period resulting in casualties from bomb attacks. Militant groups including the Pakistani Taliban have claimed responsibility for the attacks although destabilisation of the security infrasture is often perceived as the main motivation by attacks rather than just sectarianism.
A shipping container is lodged in a narrow street as a security measure on the day of national elections in Karachi, Pakistan on May 11, 2013. With Pakistani Taliban attacks killing over 120 people leading up to election day as they targeted mainstream secular political parties. 70,000 army troops were deployed nationwide to provide added security to an under resourced police force.
A wrapped pistol in the evidence room at the Firearms Department at the Punjab Forensic Science Agency, Lahore, Pakistan on March 21, 2013. The PFSA is a state of the art forensic facility for investigating criminal evidence. It was initiated by the political will of Punjab Chief Minister Muhammad Shahbaz Sharif in a response to rising crime rates within Punjab province and increased acts of terrorism.
Blood soaks into dust as policemen stand close by in Baldia Muach Goth, Karachi, Pakistan on November 29, 2012. An urdu speaking man was shot by an ethnic Balochi gang after the man and his friends entered the area to buy hashish. They were kidnapped and later released by a higway and told to run. They were then shot at with one of the men being hit with a bullet in the head. The other two men escaped and one was later picked up by the local police for questioning. Law enforcement agencies struggle with political, ethnic and sectarian violence that is rampant within Pakistan's largest city.
A police detective holds bullet casings in his hand found at the scene of a shooting in Baldia Muach Goth, Karachi, Pakistan on November 29, 2012. An urdu speaking man was shot by an ethnic Balochi gang after the man and his friends entered the area to buy hashish. They were kidnapped and later released by a higway and told to run. They were then shot at with one of the men being hit with a bullet in the head. The other two men escaped and one was later picked up by the local police for questioning. Law enforcement agencies struggle with political, ethnic and sectarian violence that is rampant within Pakistan's largest city.
A victim of a shooting lies dead in an ambulance at Baldia Muach Goth, Karachi, Pakistan on November 29, 2012. An urdu speaking man was shot by an ethnic Balochi gang after the man and his friends entered the area to buy hashish. They were kidnapped and later released by a higway and told to run. They were then shot at with one of the men being hit with a bullet in the head. The other two men escaped and one was later picked up by the local police for questioning. Law enforcement agencies struggle with political, ethnic and sectarian violence that is rampant within Pakistan's largest city.
Police, Edhi ambulance workers and medical staff cut open a hessian bag containing a man's body at the Holy Family Hospital , Karachi, Pakistan on Dec 1, 2012. The two men had been tortured, shot in the head by a rival gang and then dumped on a street. Law enforcement agencies struggle with political, ethnic and sectarian violence that is rampant within Pakistan's largest city.
A detective stands surrounded by weapons other devices holding up a suicide vest in the evidence room of the special unit designated for investigating Taliban threats within the city of Karachi on May 15, 2013. Lack of resources and training in evidence collection means that it is often inadequately stored and labeled in preparation for trials in prosecuting terrorist suspects.
A TV presenter prepares for a live broadcast from the scene of a bombing
in Islamabad, Pakistan on September 20, 2008.
A truck filled with explosives detonated in front of the Marriott Hotel killing at least 54 and injuring hundreds of people,mostly Pakistanis. The bombing occurred hours after President Asif Ali Zardari first speech to parliament. The Pakistani government is a major partner in the US War on Terror and is facing major internal strife with a failing economy, a nationalist insurgency,deteriorating relations with India as well as Taliban and Al Qaeda operating within the country's tribal regions. Both of which organisations have been suspected of carrying out the attack.
A man removes bandages of an amputated leg at the Pakistan Institute of Prosthetics and Orthotic Sciences in Peshawar on April 23, 2013. Many of the patients, originating from the border areas of Afghanistan are victims of Pakistani military attacks, drone strikes or suicide attacks and have lost limbs as a result.
As the election for a new president proceeded on 6th September 2008 after the resignation of Pervez Musharraf, Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) activists constructed a simple yet effective homage outside the Presidential Palace in Islamabad to Benazir Bhutto, leader of the PPP prior to her assassination in December 2007. The framed photographs placed on a grassy embankment along Constitution Avenue were a powerful visual reminder of the life of Pakistan's twice elected female prime minister, hailed as a hero for promoting democracy and removed from office two times on grounds of alleged corruption. Following her assassination she was named one of seven winners of the United Nations Prize in the Field of human Rights. Asif Ali Zardari, current leader of the PPP and Benazir's widow succeeded to win the election and become the 11th President of Pakistan.
Edhi Ambulance workers pray before burying two unidentified bodies on the outskirts of Karachi on May 29, 2013. Dozens of murders each day in the capital leave morgues overflowing as charity organisations such as Edhi cope with the collection, preparation and burial of bodies found in the city, often victims of robbery or inter-gang violence.
Gulnaz Shiraz sits with her nieces Shumyla, 12 years, Sidra 8 years and Kiran, 12 years at the family home in Landi, Karachion March 8, 2012.Gulnaz's niece Madeeha, 20 years old was shot and killed on December 18, 2013. She was undertaking a polio campaign in Landi, her neighbourhood when armed men shot her. Gulnaz says "The Taliban and other militant groups target polio workers because the polio program is a weak point in the administration. There are people within my community, notably Pashtuns like myself who believe that the drops sterilise children. I try to make them aware but what can I do? I only finished middle school. Our government is not giving security to polio workers. I want the government to supply security when we are working so that we can fel comfortable when working. Our salaries are not given on time, I am still waiting for my salary from 4 months ago. I am waiting to be paid so I can complete my matric exam. If I pass I can then go to college and after two years hopefully university. Without education in Pakistan we do not have awareness. The government does not want to give us education because then we will gain knowledge and knowledge is power."
Supporters of politician Imran Khan at a political rally for his party Tehreek-e-Insaaf at Minar-e-Pakistan (Monument of Pakistan) in Iqbal Park Lahore, Pakistan on March 23, 2013.