The curious case of Karachi
It would be an obvious thing to proclaim that no place and no one’s safe from the brutality of terrorism in Pakistan. There are no safe havens here where the faith-charged barbarians can’t and won’t strike. However, and ironically, over the last couple of years, what was once one of the most edgy and troubled provinces of Pakistan, Sindh, has remained nervously quiet (if not entirely peaceful).
As suicide bombers and car bombs go off with an audacious frequency right across the NWFP, Punjab, Balochistan and Islamabad, Sindh and its capital, which is also the country’s largest city, Karachi, has largely remained ‘peaceful’ – at least for the last two years.
Of course, this peace has very little confidence in itself and always seems to be on the brink of losing its fragile hold to the wrecking ways of the Taliban, the Al Qaeda, and related clusters of holy madness; but so far the province of Sindh has managed to ward off the bloody spat of reactive violence perpetrated by the Taliban and their sympathisers in the wake of the government and the army’s operation in Swat, and now Waziristan.
One can locate the source of this (albeit fragile) peace in the unwavering strength various strains of non-puritanical Islam (such as Sufism) and the politics and sociology of the shrine culture have demonstrated in much of Sindh.
Conventional politico-religious parties such as the Jamat-i-Islami (JI), Jamiat-Ulema-Islam (JUI), and Jamiat-Ulema-Pakistan (JUP) have never been able to exercise any worthwhile political, social, or electoral power in the interior of Sindh, and neither have the more militant and fanatical off-shoots of these parties such as the Sipah Sahaba Pakistan and the Sunni Thereek (formed in 1990 and considered to be the result of factionalisation in the JUP).
The interior of Sindh has for long been the bastion of political influence and electoral power of the secular Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP). Other forces that also exercise some political influence in this area are various Sindhi nationalist groups, and the Mutahidda Qaumi Movement (MQM), that enjoy pockets of support in the area. The only conservative political parties that can boast of some political and electoral influence here are squarely moderate in their religious outlook. These include Pir Pagara’s Pakistan Muslim League (Functional), Ghulam Mustapha Jatoi’s National Peoples Party, and Mian Nawaz Sharif’s Pakistan Muslim League (Nawaz).
The process of ‘Islamisation’ or more so, religious radicalisation undertaken by the Ziual Haq dictatorship in the 1980s through state propaganda and madrassahs to create puritanical jihadi groups for the so-called anti-Soviet Afghan Jihad, had little impact on the minds and hearts of Sindhis.
The shrine culture and its political and social tentacles were just too strong here to break; in fact, this culture was effectively used by Zia’s opponents (especially the PPP and Sindhi nationalists) during the three major anti-Zia movements that took place in Sindh (in 1981, 1983 and 1986).
Karachi, the capital of Sindh, offered a different story. Though the city has always been known as the only truly cosmopolitan city of the country with strong liberal and pluralistic overtones, till 1984 it was the only major city where fundamentalist politico-religious groups such as the JI and the JUP enjoyed their finest electoral hours.
Interestingly though, JI and JUP’s influence in Karachi was solely political – a case of reactive politics on the part of Karachi’s mohajir majority which, unlike the Sindhis, Baloch, Pashtuns, and Punjabis, was not directly linked to the land they lived on and thus had to define its ‘Pakistaniat’ by supporting the country’s non-ethnic ‘Islamic roots’ of creation.
The Political Islam displayed in the rhetoric and manifestos of the JI and the JUP appealed to the mohajirs landless refugee status, whereas as a social, cultural and economic entity, the mohajirs remained largely liberal in outlook. That’s why, though the JI and the JUP continued to enjoy widespread political support in Karachi, this did not affect Karachi’s other status of being Pakistan’s most modern, diverse and liberal centre of activity.
Through the 1950s, 1960s, and 1970s, Karachi was also the entertainment capital of the country, holding the most number of nightclubs, bars, cinemas, amusement parks, social clubs, and beaches with hundreds of ‘huts’ made to accommodate the thousands of Pakistanis and western tourists who visited these beaches. The city was also the country’s economic hub and bastion of higher education, boasting the largest number of factories, colleges, and universities.
On the other hand, Karachi also had the biggest slums. The largest continues to be located in the Lyari area, mostly populated by working-class ‘Afro-Pakistanis,’ a people whose ancestors were brought from Africa as slaves and soldiers first by the invading Muslims (from the eighth century onwards), and then by the Portuguese in the seventeenth century.
Other major slums of the city are made up of various ‘underclass’ and working-class mohajirs – most of whose families arrived from India after 1947 but, unlike many of their post-Independence refugee contemporaries, could not better their economic conditions – as well as Pathans, most of whom started arriving during the Ayub Khan dictatorship in the 1960s and have since been involved in the city’s economic activity as laborers, factory workers, and transporters. Biharis, who are Muslims from the Indian Bihar, most of whom moved to former East Pakistan after 1947, but started arriving in Karachi after East Pakistan became Bangladesh in 1971 also inhabited the city’s slums.
The widespread slums also meant that Karachi had the most pronounced crime rate in the country, but it is interesting to note that politico-religious parties had been more popular in the city’s middle- and lower-middle-class areas that voted for them mostly for political reasons (as discussed above); whereas the voting that took place in the city’s working-class and slum areas had more economic and left-leaning motives. For example, left-of-centre parties like the PPP have continued to win in Lyari and Malir’s working-class areas ever since the 1970 general elections, and the leftist National Awami Party (NAP) was strong in the Pashtun-dominated working-class areas, just as the defunct party’s off-shoot, the Awami National Party (ANP) – formed in 1986 – still is.
Karachi’s enthusiastic response to the JI-led Pakistan National Alliance’s protest movement – based on the slogan of Islam and shariah – against the ZA Bhutto regime in 1977 was more political in nature than ideological. Bhutto was a Sindhi (‘son of the soil’) and an autocrat, two things the mohajir majority of Karachi could not connect with keeping in mind its refugees-from-India status and its mistrust of the provincial system that replaced the old ‘one-unit’ system (after 1970) that did not recognise the provinces on ethnic basis.
But ethnicity become an even more prominent issue after Bhutto was toppled and hanged by Ziaul Haq – an event that the Sindhis will would never forgive the Punjabi dictator for.
Affected by the growing ethnic cleavages in the society, some mohajir student activists decided to form their own political group, as if demonstrating that the mohajirs too were a separate ethnic entity. Formed in 1978 at the Karachi University, the All Pakistan Mohajir Students Federation (APMSO) soon gave birth to the Mohajir Qaumi Movement (MQM) in 1984. The emergence of this distinct ethnic party happened at a time when Karachi had started to teem with a number of administrative, economic, and social problems, mainly due to overpopulation and the arrival of thousands of Afghan refugees who had started to pour into Pakistan at the start of the anti-Soviet Jihad in Afghanistan in 1980.
Many of these Pashtun Afghans started to populate the Pashtun-dominated slums and working-class areas of the city, plus the vast open areas just outside the city that were turned into permanent refugee camps.
Just like their Pakistani Pashtun brethren in Karachi, many Afghans too became laborers, petty traders, and transporters. However, many of the Afghans also brought with them huge amounts of weapons (pinched from American weapons consignments for the anti-Soviet jihadists), and drugs like heroin that had started to pour in from the outskirts of the anarchic Afghan-Pakistan border areas.
Unchecked entry of the Afghans leading to rapid population growth; the introduction of sophisticated weapons to settle scores and commit crime (the ‘Kalashnikov Culture’); drug mafias – many of whom switched from selling the less harmful and less profitable hashish to selling the highly addictive and lucrative heroin – and the utter lack of road sense and concern by transportation companies run by the richer Afghans in the city, all these gravely upset and altered the social and political landscape of Karachi, putting a tremendous burden on the once thriving economics of the city.
These coupled with the Zia dictatorship’s relentless ‘Islamisation’ moves that also saw radical religionists (mostly militant Saudi-funded Sunni groups) setting up a number of madrassahs and mosques in the city and whose sole aim was to indoctrinate and recruit young Pakistanis for the ‘Afghan jihad,’ turned Karachi into the most violent and crime-riddled city of Pakistan, which now also became a hotbed of sectarian strife.
The emergence and gradual popularity of the MQM meant the fading away of the political support conventional politico-religious parties like the JI and JUP enjoyed in the city. This also meant the beginning of another process, in which the relative social liberalism of the mohajirs began to also invade and colour the community’s otherwise conservative politics.
This process however would be rather slow to evolve, as the ‘rootless’ MQM and the huge mohajir support that it had bagged got into a series of tense conflicts with the province’s Sindhi majority, the Afghan refugees, Karachi’s Pashtun minority, and then with parties like the PPP, the JI, the PMLN, and eventually with the state itself.
Throughout the 1980s Karachi struggled with intense ethnic and sectarian strife, an unprecedented crime rate, a serious heroin problem, and a collapsing economy – a trend that failed to reverse itself across the ‘decade of democracy’ in the 1990s. The city had become a cultural and economic graveyard, and paled in comparison to what it had been before 1980.
In contrast to this, the last 10 years or so have seen Karachi unexpectedly regenerate itself – first at a tentative, unsure and cautious pace (during which it faced a number of suicide bombings, but during which the MQM also began to peel off its overwhelmingly ethnic and militant character). The pace of the social, economic, and cultural regeneration picked up after 2004, and the city started to demonstrate a new confidence and maturity.
Though still one of the most complex, diverse, edgy and populated cosmopolitan entities, Karachi’s relatively peaceful decorum in the face of the havoc being perpetrated by the extremists elsewhere in the country is due to some admiring compromises that the people and politicians of this city have struck in the last few years. Some of the factors fueling Karachi’s regeneration are:
• The acceptance by the state of Pakistan of MQM’s mainstream status as a political organ with a strong electoral influence that cannot be deterred through any form of Machiavellian maneuvers.
• A delicate but promising compromise struck between the secular political expressions of Karachi’s mohajir, Punjabi, Pushtun, Baloch, and Sindhi populations, namely the MQM, the ANP, and the PPP.
• The diverse population’s reflective understanding of the importance of social and political plurality and tolerance as a means to experiencing a strife-free and economically benefiting survival in the metropolis.
• The withering away of the political support that politico-religious parties such as the JI and the JUP once enjoyed and whose recent politics (especially the JI’s), encourages a myopic and isolationist world view that can be detrimental to the people of a cosmopolitan, diverse and economically vibrant city like Karachi.
• The relative lack of support (compared to the NWFP and the Punjab), that the city provided to various militant groups. Thanks to Karachi’s staggeringly ethnic and sectarian diversity, it was always tough for puritanical sectarian and Islamist groups to find much sympathy from the bulk of the city’s population.
• The overriding consensus against the Taliban, reached long before such a consensus was struck by Pakistan as a whole.
• A popular and prominent city government, supported across the board and among distinct ethnicities.
• The Sindh and city governments’ firm stands on the issue of Taliban cells in the city.
Nadeem F. Paracha is a cultural critic and senior columnist for Dawn Newspaper and Dawn.com.
The views expressed by this blogger and in the following reader comments do not necessarily reflect the views and policies of the Dawn Media Group.
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November 23rd, 2009 at 6:10
Reasons why there is peace in Karachi:
* Most educated city (highest %) of Pakistan.
* Commercial and financial hub of Pak
* Large, diverse and complex ethnic buildup, making it harder for terrorists to “blend in”
And most importantly:
* Great work by the political parties in Karachi – notably Mustafa Kamal
October 28th, 2009 at 10:52
A great article nonetheless. But guess what, you just exposed what you shouldn’t have. I think it was foolish to publish an article that welcomes extremists to Karachi. Think about it!! I am shocked!
One other thought, I think some political parties have a significant street presence in Karachi. They perhaps have all the metal to fend off these extremists. As if this isn’t confusing already. Let’s all pray for Pakistan’s safety. Aameen. Good words but bad timing.
October 28th, 2009 at 10:44
Great atrticle. Pretty straight analysis of Sindh and Karachi’s politics. At the end though I feel the writer has given simplistic reasons for current stability of Karachi and Sindh in general. Sindh’s sufiistic traditions stop a little short of Karachi. There must be certain more factors that contribute to the City’s peace. It may be because city is still booming and genertating sufficient economic ativity to provide piece of cake to all including the Taliban. Reportedly, Taliban and terrorist groups get quite handsome funding from tranport and other businesses of the city. So it suits militants that the equilibrium of the city is not disburbed. Anyways, hats off to Paracha. Wonderful job done!!!
October 27th, 2009 at 14:07
article by nadeem is an excellent resume of what karachi was and can be. I lived there from 1968-1973 having emigrated from kenya. it was wonderful.
1.madrassahs ought to be disbanded and all religious education made a subject in normal educational institutions. 2 put maximum revenue in upgrading govt schools.3.make present and future leaders understand – they were born empty handed and shall die emptyhanded – hence the nation needs compassion.
4. a small “green” book with basic human tenets like, anticorruption, cleanliness, hygiene, etc etc be issued and schools made to start the kids on these asoon as they get enrolled. Just like mao se tungs red and qadaffis book
October 27th, 2009 at 13:00
The epicentere of terrorism is in the mountains of Waziristan.Karachi is far away and its shock waves can hardly reach there.
Moreover the terrorists have now a days focussed on Islamabad. They think that not only Karachi but the entire country will fall in their lap as soon as they conquer Islamabad.
October 27th, 2009 at 10:27
I strongly feel we have mixed religion and politics too much. We must separate them and embrace democracy to move forward.
October 26th, 2009 at 14:40
Salman Latif said: “The only reason Karachi stays out of the terror reign is because it’s too far off for the Waziristan/Swat Talibans to aim.”
Salman, Karachi faced the worst of these suicide attacks from Al Queda back in 2004 and 2005. Was Karachi any nearer to Waziristan in those days?
Paracha has given a pretty clear cultural and political analysis as to why (touch wood) Karachi has remained safe during the current spat of Taliban violence. Of course u can diagree with him, but please do try to come up with better alternatives.
October 26th, 2009 at 3:09
I hope Karachi is smart enough and liberal that does not buy dogmatic medieval ideology in 21th Century.
October 25th, 2009 at 4:31
Brilliant analysis!
i particularly liked the points you laid down that contribute to Karachi’s regeneration.
It’s like a canvas that has so many different colors splashed on it, n it turned out to be one beautiful portrait, a powerful one that repels and refuses to reflect the dirt that occasionally strikes it.
i hope the ‘relative peace’ is sustained here and the unrest in the rest of the country comes to an end.
October 25th, 2009 at 2:16
I quite disagree with you on that one.
The only reason Karachi stays out of the terror reign is because it’s too far off for the Waziristan/Swat Talibans to aim. What’s more, the Punjabi Talibans, as the name suggests, are more stable and aware of the infrastructure here at Punjab considering the rumored collaborations of factions of former Jihadi organizations with them to carry out the recent attacks.
October 24th, 2009 at 18:28
Dear Mr. Paracha,
Please accept my congratulations on writing such a thorough article. Had you shed some more light on the militant activities of a certain political party then your piece of work would have been more realistic and intellectually honest.
The causes of Karachi staying away from these attacks are given as under:
a) its been proven to the security agencies that these sinister elements are concentrating on generation of funds from the metropolis;
b) they are using the pashtun areas of karachi to hide after fleeing from areas which are under army operation;
c) they get medical treatment after being injured while fighting with army in the hospitals of karachi without being noticed due to peculiar ethnic dynamics of the city;
d) recruitment drive for fighters is actively going on from karachi.
October 24th, 2009 at 13:48
Being more pragmatic, having noticed some of the well-organized ‘crimes’ committed by the Taliban in Northern Pakistan, one would say that the Taliban has not focused its energies on disrupting the routine activities in Karachi.
I mean,if the Taliban can penetrate an alert Islamabad, Karachi, with its sprawling boundaries, stands little chance.
October 24th, 2009 at 13:45
I find it interesting that various writers put forward their thoughts and we live in a society which loves to bame the previous, im no sympathiser of any political party/establishment of pakistan as none of them are sincere for the citizens or for their motherland, they are only interested in their own pockets, as most of the leaders have their children and assets kept abroad which shows how much confidence they have in Pakistan, always ready to board the plane if the going gets tough…what about the citizens of pkistan, the ordinary civilains who are selling their kids so that they can put some food into their mouths, what about the poor old man searching for sugar and gets blown up in a bomb attach in peshawer…..the thing is things are gong from bad to worst, when their is no hope and lawlessness poeple have no hope to live for does a country fall into what pakistan is becoming…..
its not religion or religious organisations that are doing this …its the state ho has to take blame and more so the so called democratic parties….you just have to go back into time and see how things have become worse.
October 24th, 2009 at 13:31
Paracha sahab, I suppose that after 6 decades, it’s time to stop referring to mohajirs as refugees but rather as Pakistanis with immigrant parentage. People with all sorts of backgrounds came to Pakistan for an ideology they advocate in favor of – not because of scarcity of life essentials or fear in their previous residences. Let’s not forget the implications of selective connotation.
October 24th, 2009 at 13:00
Indeed, it is the diversity of Karachiites, as well as the constant subconscious awareness of the Taliban that has aided Karachi’s recent evasion of any terrorist attacks.
October 24th, 2009 at 9:37
We should start a culture which right from the early age must learn tolerance, brotherhood, religion in its true spirit, etc to flush out evils in our society
October 24th, 2009 at 3:31
As some one said, I pray Karachi will remain safe along with whole Pakistan.
Once again, beautiful article.
Arsalan
October 24th, 2009 at 1:10
Nice article. And I agree with Sajjad.
October 24th, 2009 at 0:41
Right on spot!!
What has been written in this article is something many of us are fully aware of and are concerned about. I hope Karachi remains safe.
October 24th, 2009 at 0:24
Pretty good job I would think. And, a balanced view and analysis.
October 24th, 2009 at 0:17
Credit also goes to the people of Karachi, who never supports extremist group or leaders.
October 23rd, 2009 at 16:42
I like Nadeem’s analytical approach, he knows the problem because of detail research but i am also disappointed by some comments by other who either don’t have knowledge or simply closed eye and don’t want listen or read truth. God Help Us. Geo paracha!
October 23rd, 2009 at 16:19
Mr. Peracha. I always considered you to be brave and outspoken. So why do you hesitate to say that the ethnic polity mentioned was formed by Zia-ul-Haq?
October 23rd, 2009 at 16:13
May God keep Pakistan and its citizens safe and secure from any harm. Keep your religious and political views away from speaking and potraying in public. And you will see everybody is friend to you. You mind your own business. Pakistan will be safe then.
October 23rd, 2009 at 16:06
excellent article
October 23rd, 2009 at 16:00
These terrorists/militants need local support in a locality where they hide before and after perputating their heinious explosions.This is usually provided by people who think this is a fight against America. People with this mindset usually belong to certain political parties. I am not saying for a moment that these groups give sanctuaries to terrorists.
The propaganda by these groups however confuses most ordinary people. Their aim is not to spread terrorism but to get the religous vote in the next elections, but they have inadevertly served the cause of terrorists.
In Karachi these people have been exposed and lost support. The fallout of this loss of support is less terrorism.
October 23rd, 2009 at 15:22
What we think is chaos is actually a very we thought out chess game…
October 23rd, 2009 at 15:09
Karsaz carnage was in 2007, not 2008… and riots do not count as Taliban attacks. I think this article is specifically talking about the organized suicide bombing/terror attacks by Tehrik-e-Taliban, Pakistan.
October 23rd, 2009 at 13:12
Another poorly researched piece by Mr. Nadeem.
True, Karachi has so far been safe from the “suicide bombing” phenomenon, but the law and order situation is far from perfect.
May 12 2007 riots
April 2008 riots
Karsaz carnage October 2008
Mohajir-Pathan Riots (before Eid ul Azha, 2008)
April 2009 riots (again Mohajir-Pathan riots)
These are some of the riots/disturbances to occur in Karachi during the last 2 years.
Not mentioned here is the Lyari gang war which has been going on for a very long time with ups and downs.
So overall the law and order situation has been far from satisfactory during the last two years.
October 23rd, 2009 at 12:04
By and Large even Baluchistan is not affected by suicide bombing say for example Quetta can any one recall any suicide attack on security forces
My view is that Karachi and quetta are the main hub of revenue generation for these militants groups (kidnap, chanda etc)and if they starting attacks here then this source of revenue will be lost or at least become less profitable as govt will start focusing here also
October 23rd, 2009 at 11:58
Informative.This article has helped ease some of my fears about the well-being of my husband and family who reside in Karachi.Thanks Nadeem.
Rosie Ahmed
Gadsden, AL USA
October 23rd, 2009 at 11:48
Please don’t publish articles like this and spook Karachi too by attracting unwanted attention with peurile gloating(typical Pak trait). The world knows how hard it is to go about one’s daily business in that city. Also, today’s Kamra attack is very disturbing. Are there any “good” people in Pak?. Do something soon to counter the unleashed evil or else you will meet the same fate as the wicked.
October 23rd, 2009 at 11:35
As I mentioned before the credit goes to political parties namely PPP, MQM and ANP for realizing the severity and acuity of extremism and terrorism. Somebody brought very good point regarding Punjab Govt. not realizing the gravity of these heinous crimes in the name of Islam and feel that the Federal Govt will get all the blames. What if when PML-N comes to power then its gonna be too little and too late. I do believe that the key to the success of harmony and piece relatively is the main factions of political parties are now recognizing MQM as part and parcel of National Politics. Many are now afraid of MQM attempt to penetrate in Punjab and in their back yard.
Remember
“Only Together We Can Make A Difference”
October 23rd, 2009 at 11:35
Nicely articulated and Knowledgeable..
Speaks of clear understanding of karachi demographics.
Just one point to make karachi being hub of economic activity is also source of resource generation. Land grabbing, mafias and random kidnapping are one of the ways to fuel the fight, probably terrorist would not like to cutoff that economic chord. May peace returns to our other cities as well and remains permanent in karachi
October 23rd, 2009 at 10:57
I think its a matter of time before karachi will also be swept in this wave of urban terrorism. Punjab is getting targetted specially because the whole army extablishment is in punjab & planing for south waziristan is done in GHQ pindi. Once navy & airforce gets active in the war then karachi will become a target as well.
October 23rd, 2009 at 10:34
Paracha sahib has put in a nice way what has happened to karachi and what is reason behind the the sindhies being calm people. Job well done paracha sahib.
October 23rd, 2009 at 10:32
A very good article, as usual by NFP. A very good example of objective analysis of socio-economic-political-cultural fabric of a city.
October 23rd, 2009 at 10:07
The way Afghan refugees and Pustoons are painted in para 20 & 21 is not fair. It were these Afghan and Pushtoon labourers who helped developed Karachi and are maintaining balance of power in this big city. I believe the author should have some sense to differentiate between writing somthing about a fashion show and a sensitive issue like this while exhibiting his command over english language.
October 23rd, 2009 at 9:46
mansoor: “Mr Paracha, let me please remind you that all is not hunky dory in Karachi, have you forgotten that Lyari gang war keeps erupting day-in and day-out”
Of course, there will always be mansoors of the world. Pyaray mansoor bhai, Paracha is only talking about fundo violence in the city. Kindly read the article again.
I am not from Karachi, but during my visit to this city early this year I noticed a majority of Karachiites were strongly against the Taliban. And as mentioned by Paracha, this has greatly helped the city to at least till now keep a strict check on the militants.
PPP, MQM and ANP are all on the same page in Karachi, and it was good to see the public supporting them.
October 23rd, 2009 at 9:19
I disagree with you on this one NFP. The only reason Karachi has been relatively free from Taliban’s terrorism is purely because Taliban has chosen to not target the city. These terrorist are targetting the Pakistani state and its most powerful institutions, most of which happen to be in Islamabad and Lahore. Also, Islamabad, Lahore and peshawar are closer to the terrorist capital of Waziristan. So, it is luck and strategical reason that Karachi has been spared so far. Otherwise there are enough Madrassas and terrorist groups in Karachi to make it possible for these terrorists to cause mayhem. Remember, many top Taliban leaders are actually graduates of madrassas in Karachi like the Binori town and others.
October 23rd, 2009 at 9:16
Maybe the explanation is very simple . Pragmatism amongst Karachites is driven by the same factors that drive cities like New York,Singapore and Mumbai – Money and Captitalism.
October 23rd, 2009 at 8:54
Hi Nadeem,
I think that this article is an accurate depiction of Karachi’s history and clarifies the reasoning behind ethnic crimes/unrest in our city. It is unfortunate that majority of the people living in khi are completely oblivious of these facts. Most importantly what i like about your article is that it is completely unbiased, not favoring any one side or ethnicity but simply stating the obvious facts which brings to light the core problem of our country- WE ARENT UNITED. Anyhow, Good Job with the article and keep up the good work!
October 23rd, 2009 at 8:12
Well said afa terrorism is concerned, but gauge it with other law n order situation as compare to other region like Punjab? other social crimes like murdering women/girls, wadera system….
Karachi or any other part of Pakistan….we love em all, we wish/pray peace all over the country……..to counter this Taliban mess, we must work toward change the minds of our citizen through a revised education system…….good media policy…and above all ………GOD BLESS PAKISTAN WITH A WISE LEADER, WE NEED ONE DESPERATELY…..long live Pakistan…..Altaf from US
October 23rd, 2009 at 7:31
Oh, be quiet Paracha! Don’t jinx it!
October 23rd, 2009 at 6:48
Very good article.
October 23rd, 2009 at 6:46
Once again very well written piece of work from NAF.I was also discussing with friends this curious case of Sindh during this period of Mayhem (everywhere in pakistan except Sindh).Then found this article,Good analysis indeed.Sindh being the torch bearer of Sufism,Non violance based culture and religious tolerance assured a more peaceful society.Wish this lesson of peaceful co-existance,tolerance,bortherhood and progressive forward looking idealogy propser every where in Pakistan.
October 23rd, 2009 at 6:38
In my opinion the reason Karachi is not facing religious extremism is that we have seen and dealt with the religious-hypocrisy first hand.
Very nice and objective article; however, I disagree with the “shrine-culture” term used in this article. It was Sufis who brought love, tolerance and acceptance in to the culture and that’s the real reason why Sindh and Karachi are immune from the narrow-minded religiosity of the “Pathan/Punjabi-Islam” otherwise known as the Taliban/JI/JUP/JUI.
Shahzad
Houston, Texas
October 23rd, 2009 at 6:29
You got it wrong.
The aim of the “real” terrorists is not Karachi. There aim is to destabilize the regions which in the future will remain part of Pakistan i.e., regions where Pakistan nationalism is high.
For reference see reports from US think tanks.
October 23rd, 2009 at 6:21
As NP’s objective analysis makes it clear, Karachi owes a debt of gratitude to MQM,which is not only mending its rogue image but has become the only anti-feudal,’Awami’ party with secular credentials that no othe party can match. It was the first to warn of the dangers of the Talibanization of the country when the amy brass was viewing these savages as strategic assets.
October 23rd, 2009 at 5:40
Excellent analysis. As a teen who has lived in Karachi for the last two decades, I never knew it had such a deep and complex history. Only thing missing here is the approbation for the city governments of Mustafa Kamal and Mr.Naimatullah. Modernisation has managed to divert “Karachiittes” attention to the better things in life.
The only points one could argue that disturb the peace of Karachi are the issues of mobile-snatching, car thefts and load-shedding. Compared to constant bombs going off in other places currently across the country, I’d describe it as nfp does..”relative peace”. Hope it stays that way.
October 23rd, 2009 at 5:28
Successive Pakistani govts allowed these condition to get out of hand for short term political gains. They allowed gun culture to prevail, (in some tribal & even urban areas everybody is heavily armed), promoted religious extremism (encouraged Madrasas & religious parties so much so that their influence on society & politics has passed the point of no return), promoted private militias(they have become autonomous). To correct this will need radical changes to rewrite the Constitution and will require separation of church & state and creation of a secular nation. However lacking proper leadership this will never happen in Pakistan.
October 23rd, 2009 at 4:57
Many in Pakistan fail to understand the value of their vote. Agreed we go to the polling stations whenever we are lucky enough to have elections, but having an ink mark on our thumb does not mark the end of our civic duty. When we come out in numbers, those politicians that take Pakistanis for granted are shaken to the core. Those law enforcement agencies carry out their duty with justice. Not only the government, but the army also realizes that it becomes powerless when it is dealing with the nation as one. If we, the people, are able to wield such influence over these powerful institutions by coming together as one unit, lord save the militants if we truly unite as Pakistan.
October 23rd, 2009 at 4:54
As someone who only visited Karachi few times in my life, I have seen the city get worse every 5 years. Your observation is quite true.
October 23rd, 2009 at 4:10
It is just a matter of time that we would hear something spectacular in Karachi. Let us hope we stay safe but we are certainly not immune. God help those who help themselves. We need to unite behind our Army and support them for what they are doing for us.
October 23rd, 2009 at 4:04
Good job!
Long live Pakistan
Think locally but act for Pakistan!
Together we stand!!!!!
Own the land you live and respect and treat everybody equal!
Pathan, Punjabi, Balochie, Sindhi or Mohajir are all equal citizen of Pakistan, we should learn and practice tolerance in our day to day life………..I grew up in Karachi and left Pakistan in late 1980’s and seen various countries but there is nothing like PAKISTAN!!!!!!! Only in Pakistan you can ask a total stranger to push your car without expecting that in return he will be asking for money and park the same car wherever you want to have a Chai!!!!!!
Long live Pakistan
October 23rd, 2009 at 3:35
What peace, yar… a majority of us spend anxious days and nights fearing that one of these days something is going to come our way. Others have just toughened up over the years they’ve lived in the city to no longer care about terrorism. The TTP are evidently following a strategy to target Punjab these days for reasons best known to them. But can we really fathom the mind of a terrorist?! Just a couple days ago, they decided to blow up a ‘GIRL’s’ cafeteria in an ‘ISLAMIC’ university! I mean, not that one place deserves more or less to be bombed, but wouldn’t you agree that that would be the last place a RELIGIOUSLY motivated bomber would attack. Also, lets not forget the latest arrests made in Karachi which were reported by Dawn news at around 6 AM and hence didn’t catch much of people’s attention. The report did say that they were planning something similar to the FIA attacks in Lahore… except that they got busted. Lord knows, we need every victory we can score in this situation, no matter how small… so kudos to Sindh police or intelligence agencies or whoever the credit goes to. Hope they diffuse the situation all over the country soon.
October 23rd, 2009 at 2:58
Mr Paracha,
Hats off to you for writing such a nice article.
October 23rd, 2009 at 2:47
Is it not enough it’s happening elsewhere!?!? You want it to happen in Karachi as well!?!? Please thank ALLAH it’s not happening in Karachi, ask for forgiveness and pray that this stops once and for all – Aameen.
October 23rd, 2009 at 1:30
The memories of carnage of 12th May, 9th April (burning of lawyers), Imran Khan incident and countless other cases are still fresh in the memories of Karachiites.
October 23rd, 2009 at 1:28
Nice book -;) just took couple of hours to finish. Though got good history of Karachi but didn’t really find the depth in story i anticipated from the topic. I guess it really requires some deep dives to uncover if the peace is parmenant or its just a matter of time.
Islamabad was once considered in-vincible but see today its most vlunerabel. I hope Karachi remains safe forever along with entire Pakistan.
October 23rd, 2009 at 0:20
Well, done as usual,pity that you’re not an politician, we need some one like you in the elite system of pakistan, as they do not have the guts.But your article is almost true and yet not exact as pakistani cities get their influance from karachi, and karachi has gone through with this and since karachi is always ahead of other cities in pakistan, so now only other cities like lahore, islamad and peshawar going through with this identity crises and some more karachi is the centre for earning and even a labourer can earn a good money compare to other parts of the country,so all these trouble makers earn their bread in karachi,so it’s calm and not that hactic as it’s in other parts of the country.Pakistan is a poor country and poor countries do get slums,even rich countries have it too, but it’s all depend on the local govt;and local politcians.Again bravo for taking a great step and hope someone on the top react to your article and atleast try to understand that what is a inside story, rather to make it, on their own.
October 23rd, 2009 at 0:17
Excellent article, I think the relative peace enjoyed by Karachi is the understanding of every ethnic sect that peace is in interest of everybody and they can only survive and thrive in a peaceful environment and in the presence of commercial and economical activities. I think Sindh & Karachi can become much better if the PPP leader ship involves karachi’s city government expertise in developing rural areas and building educational and health structures as well as promoting industrial activities and on the other hand strengthening City government in various ways to continue their excellent work irrespective of territorial tug of war. In this way sindh will be ideally placed to prosper even more.
October 22nd, 2009 at 23:11
I think the major reason taliban haven’t touched Karachi is the fear of MQM. MQM has the capacity and ability to reciprocate in a tit for tat manner.
October 22nd, 2009 at 20:53
Nice article, and lets not jinx it. May Allah protect Karachi and the rest of our beloved homeland from all evils.
October 22nd, 2009 at 20:53
Well, i wont be surprised if it happens in karachi in the near future too. No one thought some months ago that the attacks will happen in Islamabad and Lahore either. And Karachi is definetly not united. I think all the evils of the country are due to ill-devised policies.
October 22nd, 2009 at 20:38
The article is well balanced and addressing almost every issues. From couple of months, I am also thinking about relative peace in Sindh and discussing with friends. I believe credit goes to two factors. First, Sufism nature of majority of people in Sindh and second, the City District Government of Karachi. Though I am not supporter of MQM but I must appreciate the MQM really doing well in Karachi. The Sindh Gov and City Gov should keep this co-oppression in future for the sack of peace in the region
October 22nd, 2009 at 20:36
Or perhaps the militants have shifted their tactics and decided to hit “home” where the army draws its troop strength. Karachi might be the financial capital, but hitting the base that recruits the army is equally important.
It is important to note that karachi, being a cosmopolitan, has its extremist elements chiefly madrassas like the binoria. Militants can easily pose as any ethnicity that they need to carry out their attacks since our intelligence and police are an abject failure.
October 22nd, 2009 at 20:10
Good analysis of the situation existing today in Karachi. No wonder people up North and Punjab are receiving calls from their relatives from Karachi to move there for safety.
October 22nd, 2009 at 19:47
One of the reason why Karachi is relatively peaceful is, the 80s and the 90s.
People of Karachi don’t want to go back there anymore for any reason what so ever.
October 22nd, 2009 at 19:24
I am an expatriate living in Canada for last 14 years,visiting Karachi almost every second year and quite remarkably see big positive difference a good infrastructure can do specially the Road and Over head bridges,i wish we have more stable power supply and peace all over the country to be back on track for economic recovery and stability,my thoughts and prayers are always with families who lost their dear ones on this sensless killings.
Congratulations NFP for this nice article.
Mohib.Toronto,Canada
October 22nd, 2009 at 19:20
congrats to the author for a fine article,yes the reason karachi is better is due to two things
level of education is better and people work…its the economy you see people mostly pay thier taxes,they are not on the move and show more pragmatism,this same model has to be replicated in the whole country,i agree that zia changed the counrty for the bad, also the mqm realised in order to succeed it must shun its ethinic stance work for the good of the country,karachi city government is ably led by mustafa kamal and i salute him for that,may allah protect pakistan and all its cities
ameen
a karachite forever,living in america.
October 22nd, 2009 at 18:59
A good overview but I think the analysis does not quite explain why Karachi has been spared so far. Nothing really has changed from earlier two or three decades as far as the cultural and political ethos of Karachi and Sindh is concerned and to surmise that this relative calm means that political forces have come to some sort of enlightenment out of the blue, is too facetious in my opinion. I think what Nadeem omits discussing, and which MAY be an important factor to look at, is changes in the intelligence gathering procedures. Of course, it may still be too soon to say that nothing is GOING to happen (God forbid), but one must look at all factors while analysing a “curious” case.
October 22nd, 2009 at 18:56
Enlightening, interesting and realistic article from NFP which explains Karachi and its ethos much better than any literature I have ever come across. It captures Karachi’s joie de vivre and sense of fun so well. East or West, Karachi is the BEST.
October 22nd, 2009 at 18:55
awesome stuff! very well elaborated and it reflects the non- puritanical nature of the karachi population and its secular environment. it provided me with an in depth analysis as to why and how taliban insurgency has not pinched a city which was the former capital of the Islamic republic
October 22nd, 2009 at 18:54
I agree witn Nadeem, the reconciliation of the people from all the four provinces during the last couple of years and most importantly I would say MQM , ANP and other parties have played a very important role in keeping Karachi ring fenced from these Taliban’s. Lets hope and pray it remains the same
October 22nd, 2009 at 18:30
If you look at the issue on more micro level, during the 90’s Karachi hosted a long and bloody sectarian violence due to the extremists and Talibans (whose main target was the Shia Community) whereas now they are struggling for their own survival. At that time these extremists were funded to create sectarian violence in the commercial capital now the agenda is different.
October 22nd, 2009 at 17:20
Honestly, this article reflects the true feeling of Karachiite(karachite->whatever way u spell it).
In short,
We are FRAGILE and STRONG.
October 22nd, 2009 at 17:16
Mr Paracha, let me please remind you that all is not hunky dory in Karachi, have you forgotten that Lyari gang war keeps erupting day-in and day-out
October 22nd, 2009 at 17:13
I must say this is (for a change) a very objectively handled piece. Very nicely done Nadeem.
October 22nd, 2009 at 17:03
Ahmed Omair writes: “boring. The spice of blaming Islam is missing.”
Tut, tut. Mr. Paracha often lays blame for manifest evils at the feet of the deserving perpetrators, who commonly misuse religion as a manipulative tool, bogus mandate, excuse, mask, and opiate. That does not in the slightest equate with “blaming Islam”.
October 22nd, 2009 at 16:48
Sensational stuff NFP! What an accurate reflection of our Karachi. After a tiring day at work returning home on the train reading this article has made my day!
I am really looking forward to visiting karachi next month inshallah after a long time!
By the way, relative peace in Karachi has nothing to do with Zardari being Sindhi right?
Aamir
Sydney, Australia
October 22nd, 2009 at 16:35
nice wounderfull effective knowledge in this article i know this true but unfortunatly goodness of sindh nice informative article
October 22nd, 2009 at 16:10
Very impressive piece. As a Karachiite in my 20’s who has lived her school life through the disturbing 80’s and 90’s, I can completely understand the essence of this article. Karachi is enjoying relative peace at this time and I pray it stays the same way in future too, not to mention hoping that the whole country follows suit, but it is also a reality that Karachi paid a huge price and made harsh sacrifices in those two decades for the relative peace it enjoys right now. Hopefully the lessons it learned in those days will not be forgotten for a long time to come.
October 22nd, 2009 at 15:47
Yes, thats right, In sindh we are active in Moharram no matter what sect we belong. Theres been lot of exploitation on Sindhi’s having reserved minds, but i think things have changed.
Theres one other thing, we really cant forgive that punjabi dictator, and thats the biggest reason that we take ages to agree with a Mullah. we just go back and realise, Religion was the main tool of Zia that he used against Bhutto.
October 22nd, 2009 at 15:43
Very well written piece. It goes to show that Mr. Paracha has had first had experience of the Karachi’s evolution as a metropolis over the years. Very enlightening indeed.
October 22nd, 2009 at 15:35
very educating piece–plain information and analysis
October 22nd, 2009 at 15:32
perhaps nadeem piracha is not happy why there is calm in karachi
October 22nd, 2009 at 15:29
Quite an informative article. An eye opener on Karachi’s history and present state of affairs for the younger generation, which only remembers lots of offs from school in the 90s but never bothered to realise why.
October 22nd, 2009 at 15:14
Your analysis about situation in karachi is very right.
Lets talk about lahore too.
Why there is a rapid increase in the terrorist activities in lahore.
The only reason that comes to my mind is that PML N who is the ruling party here thinks that such attcks only defame the govt in islamabad and not that in punjab. So they are just getting the political mileage out of it.
Once they are going to own this war thay would be able to curb this menace.
I would like to remind you all that both of these brothers when landed at lahore airport after a long exile told media that they dont have any fear of terrorist attck since they they have good relations with all.
thanks
October 22nd, 2009 at 15:14
It is a wonderful analysis of the city conditions.Most of the credit goes to MQM thoughtful behaviour and work of City Nazim that has restored confidence of MQM.We hope to see a similar strategy by all non violent political groups to combat this threat.
Shumail Mazahir
NED Graduate 2007
PhD Student Paris
October 22nd, 2009 at 15:09
boring. The spice of blaming Islam is missing.
October 22nd, 2009 at 15:06
It is very obvious that NFP has done real hard work for this article.
It is simply amazing to note that what was going on in our minds Mr. NFP has been able to pen it so well. The peace in Karachi, touch wood, is remarkable as well as interesting.
I must say that the fear amongst the karachiites is there but still they are having the belief that any attack is unlikely beacuse in Karachi people from all over Pakistan has come for their livelihood. they know that, God forbid, if any thing happens in the city it will directly effect their lives.
Another important factor is that in Karachi we have large colonies of pathans, and mohajirs etc. If any of these communities commit a mistake the entire neighbourhood may have to face the retaliation. I belive this is one of the main factor for the fragile peace in Karachi.
Although the people of Karachi are educated there is a large uneducated population as well.
Lets hope that peace in Karachi remains intact forever and that the rest of the country gets sutained peace and tranquility soon.
October 22nd, 2009 at 14:53
Kara Swat,
Mao also said “unity is strength”. If I apply it to what you’ve written it gives … guess what!
I would love to be known as Pakistani (and not by Sindhi, Punjabi, Pakhtoon or Baloch).
October 22nd, 2009 at 14:10
Wonderful as always. Nadeem the distinctive cutting edge you create for yourself is your hard hitting research and analysis. Besides science, you do have the art of jotting words/sentences with amazing bang. In this article I did missed your satire though.
Faisal Siddiqui
Anesthesiologist.
Miami, Florida.
Dow Graduate 91.
October 22nd, 2009 at 13:16
Epic stuff, Paracha. You are a solid and loyel Karachiite.
Indeed Karachi is one of the most complex and confusing cities, and you have done a remarkable job in trying to make sense of it; especially by trying to figure out why Karachi (and Sindh) remain to be the only places where religious extremism somewhat failed to find any roots, like it did in NWFP and Punjab.
Terrific piece, this.
October 22nd, 2009 at 13:15
Very enlightening…
October 22nd, 2009 at 13:14
Maybe it is because, as Mao said, ‘The enemy of my enemy is my friend’. If the Sindhi’s and Pashtun’s feel that their enemy is the dominant Punjabi, that gives them common cause?