For Karachi cops, patrolling the streets isn’t limited to busting petty criminals or managing traffic — the police are essentially at the front lines of the country's own war on terror.And in this city of over 21 million people, terrorism is a constant threat. Since 2001, nearly 80,000 Pakistanis have died in terror incidents.But after President Trump’s first tweet of 2018, which accused Pakistan of being a terrorist “safe haven,” counterterrorism operations like those carried out in Karachi have been under the microscope.
Pakistani counterterrorism officials say the situation is far more complex than what Trump described. In fact, some figures put terror attacks in Pakistan at a steep decline over the last five years.“It seems the people in charge [don't] really understand the problem, and I don't think thats a good thing for Pakistan or for the U.S.," said Omer Shahid Hamid, the head of Karachi’s counter-terrorism department.This segment originally aired January 12, 2018 on VICE News Tonight on HBO.