Sir: Being a resident of Karachi I have grown up hearing the news of deaths and killings all the time to the extent that such news does not surprise me anymore. With this bloodshed our society has slowly been poisoned and the attitude we have acquired has made us intolerant and desensitised us enough to mock those people who try in their own little ways to make some difference. The fear of being mocked now resides in us permanently. However, it took two incidents where some citizens set the robbers on fire to completely change the dynamics of the fear chain. In a matter of three days robberies and assault percentages dropped significantly. For once it was not innocent bystanders but the ruthless suppressors that ran for their lives. Although the incident in itself was brutal, I think the way this lawless society is working it was inevitable that people will start taking the law into their own hands. As much as we like to deny it, the law of the jungle prevails in Karachi and being fearful or hiding will only make the aggressors confident. We can no longer live in this world of fear. ZEHRA SAADIA SAIYED Karachi