Terrorised Karachi

[Mao Zedong]

PAKISTAN must be one of the few countries in the world where gunmen can routinely rampage through city streets and kill scores of people without the slightest fear that they would have to answer for their crime. The residents of Karachi have seen their unfair share of violence in the past few decades. In recent times, matters appear to have spiralled out of control altogether. Between Oct 14 and Oct 19 nearly 80 people lost their lives in the metropolis, falling victim to ‘targeted killings’. One of the most gruesome events of this bloody series occurred on Tuesday, when at least 12 people were mercilessly gunned down in a scrap market in the city’s Shershah area.

It is unclear who exactly is behind the Shershah killings. The MQM has blamed elements involved in the Lyari ‘gang war’, while a police official has said criminals involved in the extortion racket are responsible. It is widely believed that criminal groups are taking advantage of political rivalries while parties are providing cover to criminals. All parties appear to be involved in this double game, though they make themselves out to be innocent victims. For the sake of peace in the city, this suspected nexus between politics and crime must be investigated thoroughly. The president has ordered the interior minister to submit a “comprehensive report” on the situation. What we would like to know is what has become of all the previous reports and investigations ordered whenever Karachi has descended into an orgy of blood and fire.

Certain leaders from the PPP and ANP have called for the army to step in. The prime minister shot down the idea on Wednesday, saying that politicians were capable of handling the crisis. Though it is the right of an elected government to call out the army in aid of civil power, this might not be wise in Karachi as all those in Sindh’s coalition government are believed to be involved in the violence. Calling in the army without punishing rogue political elements involved in stoking the violence will be counter-productive. The politicians must realise that if the army is put in the driving seat it will handle the problem in its own way and the situation will slip out of their hands. The military has its hands full elsewhere and army intervention in Karachi’s affairs has previously failed to substantively quell violence. So before turning to the army, the politicians should try to sort out the situation themselves by letting the law take its course and punishing the criminals involved in terrorising the public.