ludUO

60 home or correspondence, nor to attacks upon his honour or reputation.
Everyone has the right to the protection of the law against such interference
or attacks.
Article 12
Law and order
The year 2012 saw the law and order situation in Pakistan deteriorate
even further. The number of target killings in Karachi saw a stark increase as
compared to last year, which itself was very high. It became increasingly
clear that the writ of the state was withering away in the largest, most
metropolitan city in Pakistan. The state failed to provide protection to its
religious and ethnic minorities as they were threatened and attacked repeatedly
in various parts of the country. Shia killings increased manifold, especially in
Quetta where the Hazara Shia community remained vulnerable. The year also
saw the targeting of high profile politicians and human rights activists which
spoke volumes about the state’s inability to provide protection to its citizens.
The entire country was plagued with pockets of areas where terrorists
and criminals out rightly made a mockery of the writ of the state. Sectarian
violence at the hands of banned outfits continued unabated in Balochistan
while different criminal elements targeted rival groups with impunity in Karachi.
The intelligence agencies, though severely criticised by international human
rights organisations, continued their kill and dump operations.
Even though crime rates in Punjab and the number of terror attacks in the
country declined in 2012, the country was far from a safe haven for all its
citizens. The Lashkar-e-Jhangvi, the militant group linked to Al Qaeda, was
able to murder the warden of Central Jail Mach in May by claiming that he
treated their imprisoned leaders harshly.
Extrajudicial killings
As it became increasingly clear that the executive machinery was incapable
Security alert: Policemen outside US consulate in Islamabad.