Pakistan, June 3 -- In a city designed to reflect the state's illusion of order, Karachi became the stage for an incident that shattered that illusion. A man-well-dressed, well-armed, and well-connected-dragged another citizen into the street, beat him in front of his children, and brandished a firearm with the confidence of someone enacting power rather than fearing consequence. The victim's silence speaks volumes about the resignation many now feel in the face of this collapsing order.

The episode, captured on video and circulated widely, eventually jolted state institutions into action. It took hashtags and public outrage for an FIR to be registered and a suspect named. Only then did the machinery of law begin to move. A more urgent q...