Katcha Ambush – Newspaper – DAWN.COM

The Katcha river region covering Punjab and Sindh is in the news again after reports emerged on Thursday of criminals attacking two police vehicles in the Machka area.

At the time of writing, it has been confirmed that at least 12 policemen have been martyred. When such disturbing incidents occur, the country’s attention shifts to the katcha belt. But soon after, as other events begin to dominate the news, these backwaters are forgotten until the next atrocity.

According to reports, one of the police vehicles was ambushed in a field and the law enforcers were attacked by bandits armed with rockets. Sources told this newspaper that criminal gangs had warned of revenge after the police killed one of their henchmen a few weeks ago.

On Friday, Punjab police claimed that the main culprit involved in the attack had been neutralised while several suspects were injured. The Punjab police chief had announced a ‘historic’ operation in the wake of the tragedy.

The problem of bandits in the riverine areas of Sindh and Punjab goes back decades, and several ‘major’ operations have been launched, some — in the early 1990s and 2016 — with military personnel. Yet the criminals seem to return time and again, a sign of the state’s lack of response.

Furthermore, the katcha dacoits have made a business out of kidnapping for ransom, as well as honey traps, luring victims from all over the country. The question is how criminal gangs are able to acquire military-grade weapons. Reports have it that the dacoits are known to possess RPGs and even anti-aircraft guns. How does this heavy weaponry end up in remote areas where even basic amenities are lacking? And why does every anti-dacoit operation fail to yield results? Where the bandits of the katcha belt go, we seem to move in circles.

Be it religiously motivated militants, separatist militias or the heavily armed bandits of the katcha region, the state must tackle all violent elements instead of crushing ‘digital terrorists’ and other stooges. Inter-provincial coordination between the Sindh and Punjab administrations is essential to end the bandit raj, with intelligence inputs from the security agencies.

Furthermore, it must be established whether the bandits have sympathizers within the ranks of LEAs or powerful local patrons. If such ties are established, these elements must also appear before the law. The fact is that bandits living in 19th century conditions can tackle the state with 21st century weapons, and the government only looks for answers when there is a high-profile incident, such as the Machka tragedy.

Moreover, the state should bring education, healthcare and jobs to the katcha belt as poverty and lack of opportunities push locals to join the bandits.

Published in Dawn, August 24, 2024