Crime in Pakistan

Crime in Pakistan is present in various forms and occurs everywhere, especially in the many major cities such as Karachi, Lahore, Faisalabad, Rawalpindi, Gujranwala, Peshawar, Multan, Hyderabad, Islamabad and Quetta.[1][2][3][4][5][6][7][8] Among other general crimes, it includes major crimes such as murder, rape, gang rape, sexual abuse of a minor, kidnapping, armed robbery, burglary and carjacking.[9] For example, in the city of Lahore 379 murders, 500 attempted murders, 2,650 abductions and 55 rapes have occurred in 2019.[9]

Organised crime in Pakistan includes fraud, racketeering, drug trafficking, smuggling, money laundering, extortion, ransom, political violence, etc. Vehicle theft is more common, particularly in the big cities.[9]

Pakistan falls under the Golden Crescent,[10] which is one of the two major illicit opium producing centres in Asia.[11] Opium poppy cultivation in Pakistan is estimated to be 800 hectares in 2005 yielding a potential production of 4 metric tons of heroin.[12] Opium has been historically cultivated primarily in the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province, around the areas near Afghanistan.[10] Until the late 1970s, opium production levels were relatively static; it increased after 1979.[10] An estimated $4 billion is generated from drug trafficking in Pakistan.[13]