Chaos in Karachi

EDITORIAL:DAILY TIMES
Another 11 people have lost their lives in incidents of unrelenting violence in Karachi on Sunday, bringing the death toll to more than 80 since violence erupted in Lyari and its neighbouring areas. The recent wave of killings started after five Lyari residents were found dead on Wednesday. The law and order situation in the metropolis has deteriorated to the extent that on Friday night a police party in civvies, travelling in a public bus in Korangi, was attacked by a group of 15 to 20 armed men riding motorcycles. They indiscriminately opened fire on the bus, killing six policemen. Life in the metropolis has become so precarious that even common citizens are becoming victims of the saboteurs’ killing spree and kidnapping has become a common occurrence. Mutilated, badly tortured and even beheaded bodies are being found in different parts of the city on a daily basis and business activities have come to a grinding halt.

Meanwhile, the performance of the government remains conspicuous by its absence and has remained so ever since the Karachi violence started early this year, claiming hundreds of lives so far. People have lost their faith in the government’s capability to deal with the crisis. Interior Minister Rehman Malik and Provincial Home Minister Manzoor Wasan’s assurances to the members of the SITE association did not seem to convince the industrialists as hardly ever have their claims and commitments seen fulfilment. Businessmen have demanded of the government to provide them foolproof security as the activities of the bhatta (money extortion) mafia have increased manifold in the city. Amidst the chaos, different politicians and members of civil society are urging the government to deploy the Pakistan Army to take control of the city’s law and order. However, Prime Minister Gilani has left the matter to the discretion of the provincial government, which has given a free hand to the Rangers now. The decision looks wise, at the moment, as the full potential of the police and the Rangers has not been used so far. However, the need of the hour is to fully empower and support them so that they effectively carry out operations against the criminal gangs. Friday’s attack on the party of plainclothes police on a public van is testament to the institution’s lack of resources. The wisdom behind their decision to travel in plainclothes was questionable to begin with and has, reportedly, also demoralised the policemen who have survived in the attack.

The government has to properly deploy the Rangers and other law enforcement agencies in the city. The military should be the last resort as it could undermine democracy and a military operation in the densely populated city using this blunt weapon could cause incalculable collateral damage. That could further complicate Karachi’s complex issue and afterwards the politicians could have to bear the brunt of a public backlash. At present, people of all ethnicities seem to be involved in the violence. Mainly, the Urdu speaking community, Sindhis, Pashtuns, Baloch and Punjabis constitute the city’s population. Because their issues have not been resolved by their political representatives, ethnic differences and hegemonic attitudes keep them at daggers drawn. It is certainly no secret that different political parties and ethnic groups patronise different land, drug and money extortion mafias and use street criminal gangs as their foot soldiers. There are reports that three of the criminals who attacked the police bus have been arrested. A hundred other alleged assassins have also been rounded up. The government should ensure a fair trial of these criminals without giving them any leeway due to their political affiliations. The city’s peace has to be restored at any cost.