Karachi is Crying
To bring peace in Karachi is everybody's wish, but nothing will be achieved without moving in the right direction.
Karachi's recent violence has exposed a weak and disorganized state of affairs in the city. Karachi being a commercial hub means a lot to Pakistan's economy. Our national economy cannot remain unaffected if this largest city is not peaceful.
Karachi is the largest city of Pakistan with an estimated population of around 20 million. Karachi contributes about 55% to Pakistan's GDP, that is, about US $98 billion, projected to reach $130 billion by 2015 provided peace is restored in the city and its suburbs. All national and international surveys, reports, and analyses confirm that Karachi is the mainstay of Pakistan's economy. Of course,
Karachi's high share in GDP is due to its large industrial base. Karachi has 15,000 formal industrial units in its five industrial zones while there are 360 markets spread all over the city. It is estimated that the daily loss to the national GDP is Rs 2 billion for every hour that Karachi remains non-operational. Violence has forced several established businesses to close permanently. About 40% of businesses are on the verge of collapse because of the recent unrest in Karachi.
Karachi is facing civil war-like situation immaturity and short-sightedness on the part of the political parties have triggered violence in the city. PPP has a vote bank in Karachi, but as a party it has a limited influence. Responsibility in many ways lies with the MQM, because it has the ability to implement its decisions. Meanwhile, a serious threat to MQM's control of the city is emerging, as Pashtun population now is in close parity. It's hard fact and MQM has to realize.
July has been a bloody month. However, this is not the first time when the city has been subjected to ethnic-bloodbaths. The Muttahida Qaumi Movement (MQM) walked out of the federal and provincial governments and this was a message that peace between the various power-brokers in Karachi would be affected. What happened afterwards Muttahida Qaumi Movement (MQM) founder Altaf Hussain invited the army to initiate an impartial crackdown on criminal elements, in Karachi irrespective of their political affiliations, to free the metropolis from the grip of armed terrorists.
Addressing MQM activists at the Lal Qila ground in Karachi, Hussain said that the government was duty-bound to contain the seemingly unending killing spree in Karachi.
“[Apart from Rangers] we want the army to take control of Karachi (and launch a crackdown). If they feel that anyone from the MQM is involved (in criminal activities), that person should be arrested,” he said. However, he cautioned the army and Rangers against targeting the MQM alone. “If anyone from the PPP or ANP is found to be involved (in such activity), they, too, should be apprehended,” he said.
The Awami National Party (ANP) has opposed the restoration of the local bodies system of 2001 in Karachi and Hyderabad and the implementation of the commissio-nerate system in the rest of Sindh, terming the move “undemocratic”.
“The ANP considers separate systems for Karachi and Hyderabad and the rest of Sindh as an unannounced compromising step of the government to pave the way for creating a Mohajir province,” ANP President (Sindh) Shahi Syed said while speaking at a news conference at the Mardan House.
He said his party always offered unconditional support to the Pakistan People's Party (PPP) in order to strengthen democracy but it was ignored by the latter in spite of the fact that it was also a coalition partner of the PPP.
A report issued by the Human was quite expected. Over 100 people were killed in a strike that followed the decision. Public transport was badly affected and innocent citizens were indiscriminately killed by sharp shooters of major political parties which mobilise people on the grounds of ethnicity and linguistic identity.
When the events of early July settled, the peace between MQM and Government was again shaken; PPP leader, Zulfiqar Mirza inadvertently expressed his views against Altaf Hussain. Mirza also made some sweeping and irresponsible remarks against the mohajirs who arrived in Karachi after the partition. The statement unfortunately resulted in further violence and killings of innocent people and the loss of private and public property.
With the unofficial alliance of all non-Muhajir representatives and MQM's breakaway factions operating under the guise of Sunni Tehreek, there is a greater likelihood of street battles erupting and getting out of control. PPP controls the federal agencies such as the Rangers and FC but further escalation of violence and tension will have an adverse impact on the democratic and consensual decision-making. Given the current configuration, MQM is rightly worried about being pushed into a corner. But then it cannot totally absolve itself of the responsibility as it was and remains a major actor in Karachi's politics and governance. Karachi's economy cannot function without the inclusion of
Now it is not simply a turf war between drug-peddlers and their racketeers; it has taken a new turn wherein hand grenades are being hurled, rockets are being fired and decapitated bodies are being found in gunny bags.
Rights Commission of Pakistan said that a total of 1,139 people were killed in the city during the first six months of the current year and 490 of them fell prey to targeted killings on political, sectarian and ethnic grounds.
HRCP chairperson Zohra Yusuf, sharing the statistics, observed that a continuous surge in targeted killing reflected the government's inefficiency to handle the situation that was deepening the sense of insecurity among the citizens. She was of the view that the government was not taking decisive action against culprits to appease its coalition partners.
According to the HRCP report, 65 women were killed during the first half of the current year — 24 by their relatives and 26 by unknown assailants. It said that four of the victims were burnt to death, three died on railway tracks; two were killed by robbers and another two by Lyari gangsters. Three women fell victim to honour killing and one was killed by police, it stated.
Separately, the report said, 37 men lost their lives in the ongoing Lyari gang warfare over the past six months. Among the 56 victims of ethnic strife 51 were men and one woman, the rest being children.
According to the report, of the 490 victims of targeted killings, 150 were apparently killed for their association with various political, religious and nationalist parties, 56 for their ethnic background and eight on sectarian grounds.
The statistics show that 250 people killed in the city during the period did not have affiliation with any political party. A total of 139 such killings had been reported during the other communities given the interdependence of economic and social forces. The transport business is largely operated by the Pathans so they simply cannot be isolated from the power matrix and decision-making. As the second largest community, they also have a right to claim their share.
Violence and killings will not change this. The Pakhtun population of Karachi cannot be washed away or, more appropriately, done away with. The Pakhtuns also should not get their rights by indulging in bloodshed. Their struggle has to be political. Of late, it seems, though, as if they have decided to fight their way through, and this will only lead to massacre.
Besides the political settlement, which is the first step towards peace, the state machinery has to be improved to maintain order. The Karachi police is now good for nothing. During Benazir Bhutto's second tenure, it actively played its role to curb violence in the city, which eventually tormented the MQM. Consequently it had to pay a heavy price for that. The hundreds of criminals it had arrested were released from jail through various political deals, some during Nawaz Sharif's second tenure and later through Musharraf's patronage. They came out and methodically killed police officials involved in operations against them and forced others to run away.
These different organisations have deep-seated grudges. So, no one in the police can afford another onslaught on them, and the police is content as being silent spectator. This situation is further worsened by the fact that its personnel are now heavily infiltrated by party sympathisers, largely affiliated with the MQM and other parties. The police is no longer an independent and unbiased organisation to maintain peace in the city.
It has taken an ugly ethnic colour, and the political power-brokers in the city are supporting one or the other warring group. By the looks of it, no law exists in our country. Innocent people are being killed every day.
The Rangers that have been permanently deployed in the city have little knowledge and understanding of the situation as they have lesser interaction with the common man. The police has much more understanding of the social setup and the current state of affairs in the localities prone to violence. The Rangers by its design are not for peace keeping, but should only be employed in emergencies. Their continuous deployment would result in sad and violent incidents such as the killing of the young man in broad daylight. Ever since that gruesome incident, the Rangers feel depressed and are somehow ineffective.
Now the authorities have come up with another alarming decision; the deployment of the Frontier Constabulary in the city. This organisation is almost wholly Pakhtun and trigger-happy. Their induction at the moment Karachi is smouldring is grossly unwise, if not malevolent.
We have described the problem, now we have to look for the solution? One, the MQM has to recognise and come to terms with the new realities of Karachi. This will help it in accepting a political settlement with other communities. Two, Pakhtuns and other ethnicities must have the possibility of getting political representation.
The way to do this is to divide Karachi into five or eight districts with their own local councils. This will allow different ethnicities to have a say in running their day to day affairs. One community having control over all of Karachi through a metropolitan corporation will always be a conflict-ridden body.
Third, the police force, in fact the entire law enforcement mechanism that includes the judiciary and the jails, needs to be built up brick by brick. Relying on the Rangers – who should be withdrawn from the city – or the FC and ultimately the army, could at best be short-term measures. The police has to take control for the law and order to be maintained.
As always, Karachi needs democratisation of power; and robust accountability mechanisms and strengthening of the state as the mediating agent between diverse interests and lobbies. There can be no other alternative to a responsive local government, a municipal police and effective law-enforcement agencies. The notions of cosmetic, brutal “clean-up” operations are recipes for failure for they cannot change underlying imbalances in the state and society. The democratic option is clear. The major political parties will have to agree on a common agenda for reform and negotiate it.
The 141st Corps Commanders' Conference was held at General Headquarters. Chief of Army Staff (COAS) General Ashfaq Parvez Kayani chaired the meeting.
Among other issues, the participants also discussed the security situation in the Country in general and Karachi in particular. The Forum expressed concern over the law and order situation in Karachi and its ramifications / implications on National economy and expected that the measures recently undertaken by the Government would help redress the situation.
An army intervention has never resulted in systemic changes. Karachi is no exception. Above all, it belongs to its resilient, inventive citizens who want peace, security and opportunities. Ending violence in Karachi and creating equitable opportunities should, therefore, become a top priority of political parties. Otherwise, they may fail us once again.
corresponding period of the previous year.
About the victims of targeted killings on political grounds, the report suggested that 77 activists belonged to the Muttahida Qaumi Movement (MQM), 26 to the Pakistan People's Party (PPP), 29 to the Awami National Party (ANP), 16 to the Mohajir Qaumi Movement-Haqiqi (MQM-H), seven to the Sunni Tehrik (ST), nine to the Ahl-i-Sunnat Wal-Jamaat (ASWJ), two to the Jamiat Ulema-i-Islam and one each belonged to the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N), Jamaat-i-Islami (JI), PML-Functional (PML-F), Jeay Sindh Qaumi Mahaz (JSQM) and Punjabi-Pakhtun Ittehad (PPI). Four members of the banned outfit Sipah-i-Sahaba Pakistan were also killed on political grounds, it said.
The HRCP report observed that in the first six months of 2010, the figures of targeted killings were comparatively low as 109 people had fallen victim to the menace with 34 belonging to the MQM-H, 22 to the MQM, 11 to the PPP, 16 to the ANP, four to the ST and three each belonging to the JI and SSP. The other parties lost one or two of their activists during the period.
According to the statistics of other violent crimes, the report said 123 people were killed on account of personal enmity during the first half of the current year as against 113 reported in the corresponding period of the previous year.
A total of 41 policemen have been killed so far this year compared to 32 gunned down last year in the city, the report said..
Adeel Niaz