LAHORE: A comprehensive comparative compiled by the National Police Bureau has revealed sharply contrasting provincial security trajectories, with Punjab posting what officials describe as a historic and systemic decline in crime, even as Sindh and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) grapple with rising violence, kidnappings, property offences and increasing attacks on police.
The data set comparing April 18 to Dec 31 figures for Punjab, Jan 1 to Nov 30 for Sindh, and full calendar year statistics for
KP between 2024 and 2025
presents one of the most detailed cross-provincial crime breakdowns in recent years.
Punjab’s performance stands out for both scale and uniformity. Total reported crime fell from 252,605 cases in 2024 to 171,784 in 2025, a decline of 80,821 cases, or 32 per cent. The reduction was neither isolated nor confined to select districts; it extended across violent crime, organised robbery networks, street crime and
property offences.
Dacoity dropped dramatically by 60pc from 618 to 248 cases, while house dacoity plunged 72pc from 407 to just 113. General robbery, a major indicator of street-level insecurity, fell by more than half, from 53,271 to 25,010 cases, while house robbery declined 51pc from 1,402 to 681.
The contraction in property crime was equally striking. Theft within boundary walls fell 17pc from 61,074 to 50,656. Motorcycle snatching, a persistent urban menace, dropped 48pc from 10,886 to 5,634, while motorcycle theft fell 34pc from 66,632 to 43,833. Car theft declined sharply by 48pc from 1,166 to 607, and car snatchings fell from 65 to 36 cases. Burglary decreased 27pc from 25,761 to 18,696. Violent crime indicators also improved. Kidnapping for ransom fell from 96 to 76 cases. Murder and attempted murder collectively declined 18pc from 3,952 to 3,022. Attempted murder independently dropped from 8,542 to 7,021. Cases of rape and sodomy decreased 10pc from 12,053 to 10,821. The only category registering an increase was assaults on police, rising modestly by 5pc from 2,545 to 2,670, suggesting more confrontational policing even as overall crime fell. Punjab’s major cities powered much of this turnaround. Lahore recorded a 35pc reduction in total crime, from 47,922 to 31,182. Robbery in the provincial capital plummeted 78pc from 8,213 to 1,823, while motorcycle snatching declined 69pc from 703 to 216. Faisalabad posted a 35pc overall drop, from 23,548 to 15,235, with robbery falling from 7,198 to 3,482. Gujranwala saw total crime decline 23pc from 22,270 to 17,043. Multan registered a dramatic 42pc reduction from 16,656 to 9,600, including a 70pc fall in dacoity from 43 to 13 cases. Rawalpindi recorded a 23pc drop from 12,121 to 9,293.
The improvement extended deep into secondary and rural districts. Sheikhupura’s total crime nearly halved, falling 48pc from 14,642 to 7,667. Mandi Bahauddin registered a 53pc reduction from 3,418 to 1,596. Sialkot declined 36pc (12,286 to 7,894), Kasur 25pc (9,012 to 6,769), Nankana 32pc (2,190 to 1,484), Narowal 18pc (1,775 to 1,460), and Hafizabad 31pc (2,370 to 1,625).
In the northern belt, Attock fell 20pc (1,980 to 1,576), Jhelum 31pc (1,273 to 874), Chakwal 15pc (1,043 to 887), Sargodha 31pc (6,158 to 4,122), Khushab 26pc (1,375 to 1,024), Mianwali 30pc (1,499 to 1,047), Bhakkar 35pc (2,266 to 1,729), Jhang 35pc (3,085 to 1,995) and Chiniot 38pc (2,391 to 1,482). Southern Punjab mirrored the trend. Sahiwal dropped 44pc (6,328 to 3,553), Okara 46pc (6,731 to 3,603), Pakpattan 31pc (3,575 to 2,478), Vehari 24pc (4,923 to 3,733), Khanewal 34pc (5,765 to 3,819), Lodhran 41pc (1,344 to 792), Muzaffargarh 36pc (6,668 to 4,251), D.G. Khan 39pc (1,502 to 966) and Rajanpur 39pc (621 to 378). Rahim Yar Khan declined 21pc. Bahawalnagar fell 27pc and Layyah 24pc. Bahawalpur was the lone outlier, recording a 7pc rise from 5,544 to 5,953 cases. In contrast, Sindh registered an overall increase of 5,330 cases, rising from 108,913 to 114,243 during the first eleven months of 2025.
Although November alone showed a decrease, the year-to-date trajectory remained upward.
Karachi drove much of the increase. Total crime in the metropolis rose from 59,083 to 64,039, an addition of 4,956 cases. Attempted murder surged from 693 to 923. Kidnapping and abduction jumped from 2,597 to 3,457. Motorcycle theft increased from 9,722 to 11,037. Assaults on police in Karachi declined from 1,279 to 975. Across Sindh, murders rose from 1,697 to 1,757. Attempted murder climbed sharply from 2,433 to 2,986. Kidnapping and abduction increased from 3,935 to 5,125, while kidnapping for ransom declined from 132 to 70. Rioting dropped from 4,153 to 3,258.
Property crime trends were mixed: dacoity fell from 629 to 557 and robbery from 4,435 to 4,250, but burglary increased from 2,449 to 2,865. Motorcycle theft surged from 10,739 to 12,519, car theft rose from 1,202 to 1,428, and motorcycle snatching decreased from 5,259 to 4,922. Hyderabad range recorded a net decline from 19,537 to 17,987. Sukkur increased from 9,808 to 10,177, with murders rising from 261 to 328. Larkana decreased slightly from 9,299 to 9,041. Mirpurkhas declined from 3,347 to 3,151. Shaheed Benazirabad recorded a substantial fall from 9,389 to 8,298.
Karo Kari figures reveal a troubling undercurrent. While recorded cases dropped from 148 to 121, year to-date 2025 victims numbered 170 — 125 women and 45 men compared to 142 previously. Most victims were killed by close relatives: 51 by husbands, six by fathers, 24 by brothers and 52 by other relatives. Pistols or revolvers accounted for 63 killings. Sindh police reported 3,336 encounters in 2025, resulting in 28 policemen martyred and 114 injured. On the criminal side, 268 were killed, 1,533 injured and 3,042 arrested. Police registered 8,751 illegal weapons cases, arresting 8,783 individuals and recovering 141 Kalashnikovs, 305 shotguns, 198 rifles and 7,725 pistols. Bullet recoveries rose to 45,672 rounds.
KP’s full year comparison painted the most volatile picture. In Peshawar region, murders rose from 656 to 687 and attempted murder from 991 to 998. Hurts increased from 612 to 827, criminal intimidation from 664 to 831, and kidnappings from 53 to 82. Motorcycle theft rose from 260 to 386 and snatching from 159 to 288.
Mardan recorded attempted murder rising from 876 to 1,045 and criminal intimidation from 896 to 1,044. Sodomy increased from 83 to 128. Kohat saw murders spike from 422 to 509. Hazara reported abductions rising from 358 to 447. Bannu and DI Khan recorded rising murders, while DI Khan saw motorcycle theft fall sharply from 247 to 107. Malakand saw murders increase from 429 to 480 and attempted murder from 450 to 535. Most concerning was the province wide escalation in assaults on police: Peshawar (254 to 309), Mardan (96 to 189), Kohat (25 to 56), Bannu (77 to 109), DI Khan (12 to 25), Malakand (18 to 31). Only Hazara remained nearly unchanged.
The comparative data underscores three sharply different security environments: Punjab’s broad-based and measurable crime suppression, Sindh’s urban-driven increase and persistent honour-related killings, and KP’s intensifying lethal violence coupled with mounting attacks on law enforcement. Together, the figures map a fragmented national crime landscape, one in which Punjab has set a benchmark for large-scale reduction, while Sindh and KP confront mounting and complex security pressures requiring urgent, region-specific responses.
