Pakistan, who has a recent past of being a haven for militants, and whose deteriorating law and order situation has caused many business owners to pack and move abroad, is seeing a tremendous boom in private security agencies. This hype for hiring private security was felt back in early 1990's when Pakistan was declared a hub for militants and government was busy in grooming 'little frankensteins'. The government was not ready to face them after they turned into monsters. This created joblessness in the present decade when those 'monsters' were kept unemployed to combat 'terrorism'. This created a need for private securities and jobs in the market. However, the bubble boom for such agencies goes with both registered and unregistered ones. Out of more than five hundred private security agencies, half goes unregistered. A flourishing market where on accounts has been declared that the personnel employed are equivalent as those of our police force, have a bright future, for the following reasons:
Pakistan, having ranked fifth in the world in kidnappings has even left Mexico behind which stands eighth. What is plightful is that unlike Somalia and Afghanistan who top the rankings and where kidnappers are the teenagers or youth who kidnap for ransom, only 20 percent of the kidnappings account for ransom.
Increase in bank robberies where mostly are networked under the privacy of unregistered security agencies.
Unregistered ones are least bothered about the verification of security guards they hire but also the registered ones at times show irresponsibility when it comes to tracing back the dacoits.
Since most of the middle class has long been robbed and therefore they are left with nothing at hand to feed the 'legalized' crime mostly arranged by the political parties, what has come up next in queue are the banks. Many banks too have been the victims of bank robberies which are organized by the security guards, who are someone traced back to the militants.
Private security has a promising market in Pakistan as most of the top ranking political parties enjoy an easy earning through organizing and generating high level and low level streams of income through robberies.
Low level income is on religious festivals where it is obligatory for each and every household person to spare at least something in the name of zakat, fitra etc. On turning down the asked fitra, people are on risk to call upon robberies.
The need for security guards are felt more by the elites, where it is dangerous for an upper class individual to move around in his vehicle without a fully armed private guard, otherwise which he must be ready to get abducted.
The market calls upon the increasing need for private security guards as the local police is busy in protocoling the government officials and parliamentarians.
One of the officials of the Home Department, according to Centralasiaonline when asked to monitor the hiring and firing of security guards, ensured that those tracing back to any criminal involvement will not be given such jobs. Such assurity is of little prevalence in such lawless conditions when one may never know when the private security agencies turn themselves on!
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