To make a realistic assessment of the present situation of crime in Pakistan, it is necessary to take a brief look at the society and crime conditions before independence and compare the two.
There is a direct relationship between population and crime. As the population increases, the crime rate also rises. Population has its own characteristics, which are reflected in crime. The population of Pakistan has its own distinct features, and the pattern of crime here is also specific. Pakistani society is a dislocated society, and in these fifty years it has not been able to establish its roots in the ground in the same way as it had before independence.
Before independence, crime in society was not as widespread. In old Punjab (excluding urban populations), crime was very low. The reason was that the roots of society were very deep, and both formal and informal controls were fully functioning. For generations, people lived in the same streets and neighborhoods. They had kinship ties among themselves, and even neighborhood relations had the form of extended family ties. Before committing any illegal act, a person would think about what the neighbors or community would say or think. The person committing a wrong act had to continue living there, arrange marriages for his children, and maintain social relations within the same locality. Therefore, a person living in such a society had to consider the long-term and serious consequences before committing any wrongdoing. This acted as a major barrier, and people remained protected from crime. In criminological terms, this is called traditional social control.
In those times, if a stranger passed through a neighborhood, people would become alert—questioning why he had come, whom he wanted to meet, and for what purpose. If his intentions were clear, people would remain quiet; but if he appeared suspicious, the community would question him and sometimes even confront him. When outsiders realized that residents were so vigilant, they avoided coming with bad intentions. This too was a form of social control that acted as a strong barrier against crime.
Living together for generations also meant that people were closely connected through caste and kinship, and were fully aware of each other’s family circumstances. Everyone knew how many children a person had, how many sons and daughters, their ages, and what they were doing—whether studying, working, or engaged in business. With such familiarity, no illegal act could remain hidden. As a result, people lived very cautious lives. Every step of a young man was observed, and every glance of a young woman was noted. This was a form of strict social monitoring, which proved highly effective in preventing law-breaking tendencies.
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