The experience of violence is pervasive in Pakistan; while residents of Rawalpindi-Islamabad face violence mostly from people they know, in Karachi, residents are more likely to experience violence from strangers i.e. criminal and political. The findings overwhelmingly point towards access to services and vulnerability profiles of households as major drivers of violence. Evidence and analysis is presented through narratives at the intersection of violence and gender, including themes of vulnerability, illness, mobility, service provision and access to services. The state has a major role in perpetrating violence and as well, is a cause of social violence.