Pakistan, May 31 -- The recovery of a kidnapped child and two men from Sindh's Katcha area offers yet another reminder of a grim, unresolved truth: large swathes of Pakistani territory remain under the de facto control of criminal syndicates.

The Katcha belt, a forested no-man's-land along the Indus in southern Punjab and upper Sindh, has long served as a sanctuary for dacoits armed with military-grade weapons and protected by feudal and political networks. Decades of piecemeal operations have failed to secure lasting peace, transforming what was once a policing challenge into a national disgrace. Unless Pakistan's security and civil authorities coordinate to eradicate this bandit ecosystem, we will continue to bury our police in bulletp...