Ironically speaking, once known as the ‘city of lights,’ Karachi is that mega city of Pakistan where now the level of political strife can only be measured by the body count at the morgue. According to a nerve-chilling estimate, this year almost 1,400 people succumbed to the dreaded “targeted killing” phenomenon – more than the number of people killed in terrorist attacks across the country.
Now that tally solidifies its grim distinction as the country’s most dangerous city, other than its actual war zones in the lawless up North.
Who are these killing machines, who when unleashed, go on a killing spree that reminds one of Cambodia’s regime during the Khmer Rogue and their dreaded killing fields (from 1975 to 1979)?
Lawlessness in the tribal belt of Pakistan is always blamed on Taliban/al Qaeda, but in Karachi, as analysts put it, it is the organised criminal gangs. They perceive Karachi as a jungle, which is full of these predators – organised criminal gangs, weapon dealers, land mafia, drug lords, extortion rackets (bhatta mafia) –who staunchly guard their turf and in almost all cases, allegedly have links with political parties.
According to law enforcement agencies, the political affiliations of these criminal gangs make this armed conflict, intractable. What also confirms this belief is that in most cases, the dead also had political affiliations either with the PPP, MQM, ANP, MQM (Haqqiqi), Jamaat-i-Islami or Sunni Tehrik etc.
But that doesn’t mean that the common man is lucky enough to be spared. Some of them were targeted for their ethnicity, some because of their sect while some died only because that is the price they had to pay for being the residents of Karachi. The brewing ethno-political strife gives targeted killings a perfect cover, even if it isn’t politically motivated.
When I hear people blame lawlessness in northern Pakistan due to the absence of the writ of the government, I wonder what then can the situation in Karachi be referred to? People in Karachi are victims of administrative failure. Clearly, the law-enforcement institutions and the government on the whole, have lost its hold on the city. In most cases, even the police admit that armed wings of political parties are engaged in a bloody turf war and are engaged in settling scores to establish their hegemony.
Each time the law and order situation in Karachi gets out of control, the city which is the largest revenue generator of the country, shuts down. Who benefits from destablising this city?
One allegation that is making rounds is the nexus of the so-called religious extremist outfits and the criminal gangs. But is it for real? I reckon the administrative failure offers space to criminal mafias to penetrate into system and hold ground which results in bloody mess of targeted killings. People of Karachi are forced to live in swamp of chaos and mayhem, while public representatives, encircled by armed protocol of safety blame the rival political parties for the mess.
The police perceive Karachi as a massive battle ring where the proxy gang wars periodically flare up and have the potential to even rock the government. While the army, to some extent, has been capable of battling down the militancy in tribal north, Karachi it seems, has been left at the mercy of equally dangerous elements.
There is battle for dominance, for drugs, for weapons, for commandeering land, for extortion, for fattening electoral rolls when ultimately, it is a battle to gain ‘ownership’ of Pakistan’s commercial hub, Karachi.
Sabin Agha is a Pakistan-based journalist and a broadcaster. She can be reached at sabin.journalist@gmail.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.
No amount of talks or dialogue can bring about peaceful co-existence in Karachi or else where in Pakistan. As increasing violence and mounting deaths and assissination show people in Pakistan are full of hatred for each other, lack self-discipline and tolerance, 90% of the population is uneducated and therefore suspectible to “manipulation” by extremists, are generally selfish and have no regard for the lives and property of their fellow brothers and sisters. They continue to live in a “fool’s paradise” wishing for some Divine intervention, or some foreign powers to rescue them from the chaos they themselves have created. It is high time Pakistanis face the “reality” and understand that regional prejudices, bigotry in the name of religion, the lackless politicians, and “weak people” are all precussor of a bigger disaster and self-destruction. The journalists, politicians, the civilians-at-large have to work together without personal agendas for the collective good of the country. Until that happens, you will continue to see the chaos increasing and spin out of control. No one else but Pakistanis are to blame for the troubles in Pakistan. I repeat once again, religion has no place in politics and the “uneducated mullahs” and “extremists” have to be reined in permanently by every means available to the State, if Pakistan is to survive as a civilized body of people on Earth. There is no other alternative.
I fully agree with you Dr. Syed N. Hussain.
God helps those who help themselves.
That Pakhtoons are mainly menial service providers and labourers and they cannot afford a conflict with any community, let alone Mohajirs. The only source of conflict, he suggested, arises when Pakhtoons are denied the opportunity to earn their livelihood.
ANP supporters and even apolitical Pakhtoons pointed out they have faced systemic persecution in non-Pakhtoon areas and their entrepreneurs have had their businesses shut down or vandalized, while others have been targeted for their ethnic affiliations.
Te solution lies in a police or Para-military operation that is aimed at disarmament. Other ANP faithful also suggested the same. They contend that weapons – whether legal or illegal – kill indiscriminately and they would support any such programme which requires lying down of arms
I understand tour observation that “Pakhtoons are mainly menial service providers and labourers”. However these Pakhtoons are also carrying lethal arms and we should not allow guns in the hands of “mainly menial service providers and labourers”. Afghanistan is an example of what can happen if guns are in the hands of irresposible citizens. The result is breakdown of law and order.
Pakistani authorities should ensure that arms are not in the irresposible hands.
The blog ends with an outcry: “There is a battle for dominance, for drugs, for weapons………..” For what? “To win Karachi” But for whom? No one is really going to win. There is nothing to win. This is not a matter of law and order or a city with too many men with loaded guns of various loyalties. It is actually a payback time.
It was in the year 1843 when the British arrived in Sind. Karachi was a fishing village on the coast. After winning a battle, they stayed for about a hundred years. By the time they left in 1947, the population had reached to 300,000. One third of the population were Hindus. Then began the great emigration and slowly the ratio of the one third disappeared. With that disappearance, there was no accounting for the vacant properties. No one cried “foul.” How could we seek justice when it was aborted from the very beginning?
To combat the current persistence violent killings and violence in Karachi I suggest following considerations for our Government:
Two special and dedicated Police Divisions be created within our Karachi Police Department for the tasks described below:
1. Create a special Police Division dedicated for the surveillance, investigation, prosecution and conviction of “political and sectarian violence”. This Police Division will handle only the political and sectarian militants of all types.
2. Create a special Police Division dedicated for the surveillance, Monitoring, investigation, prosecution and conviction of “Immigrants to Karachi from Afghanistan and Tribal Areas” since Talibanization of Afghanistan and increase of the drugs traffic”. This Police Division will handle only violent and criminal Immigrant elements.
It is essential that experienced Police personnel are assigned to the above Divisions to be appropriately trained for their respective duties before assignments and they should be better paid, experienced, educated, dedicated and have better leadership.
The rest of the Police should continue the traditional Police work they have always done in Karachi since our independence in 1947.
I think there is a need for the rest of the Pakistan to treat Karachi as part of Pakistan. When it comes to problems, the problems of Karachi are our own, when it comes to benefits and resources, everything must be shared. There is also the mentality that when Karachi shuts down the rest of the country picks up lost business and the only thing that bothered the Establishment (which is 99% non-karachi or non-Urdu speaking) was the loss of port when Karachi is shut, so now they are hoping to have Gawadar to make good the loss without the Balochis benefiting (who are also not represented in the Establishment).
I have the following three suggestions for immdiate improvement of law and order in Karachi – if the sons of the soil don’t mind:
1) There should be entry and exit control on the Karachi border and who comes and goes in should be kept under control and should be governed by the needs of the city.
2) Police should be atleast 60% made up of local people and all SHOs must be local i.e. born in Karachi
3) Bring back the City Government
Kashan I agree with your suggested 3 points,this practice has been adopted all around the world. The mentality & thinking against these points are the major cause of not acceptance of Karachi mandate and desires.
Ethnic violence is the root cause to target killings. I agree with your First paragraph but the point 1, 2, 3 you made are not solution to the problem.
A strong leadership is what is needed.
BUT it is like the old ‘Broken windows theory’. In this theory, if you tolerated one small incident, such as rape, and blamed the victim for the problem, the culprits, would feel to go and rape again.
In effect the theory claims that in a street (AKA Karachi), where there are buildings with lots of unrepaired broken windows( AKA Lots of rapes and petty Crime) then the seriousness and the rate of crime will increase disproportionately.
Another, very important reason, why rapists and petty criminals should be brought to justice, and swiftly.
Who so ever is responsible, party A, B or C. The judiciary has to take notice where government is reluctant to take actions against criminals. We do not know why judiciary is silent on this serious matter where citizens use to suffer the wrath of criminals. People of Karachi are dying on daily basis in numerous amount and judiciary is silent. Why the judiciary is not willing or ignoring to take action on this major crisis in the biggest city of Pakistan. We have no expectation from law enforcement agencies, if they were serious then Karachi might not have counted so much dead bodies of people belonging every part of Pakistan.
Pakistan is bleeding, internally & externally!! There is no God to help us now; its our time of salvation or absolute destruction. Wake up my brothers & sisters. What we need now is a revolution; a people’s revolution, like the great French revolution. To throw out criminals & terrorists from power & to cleanse this land of all evil islamic fundamentalists. To make our country strong & proud once again. To make our people come up in life & to hav a better future.
Wake up Pakistanis, before it is too late and we all die. We owe it to our children & our future generations to cleanse this country & physically eliminate all those who destroy it.
This Insurgency in Pakistan financial capital has to be dealth with a strategy asdopted in North of Pakistan. This is the only solution left now.
You can not blame anyone but you can catch anyone who is involved or find out the groups who are involved. Who will do this, the administration, take them in the fast courts, or Anti-terrorism courts, put them behind bars, irrespective of their belongings. All parties should agree for this and take action. Make strong the prosecutors, who will do this, the present day government or city government. Make some efforts to do good, otherwise some one will come from back and will manage but it will manage one day. Wait for the good who will do for us.
The “targeted killings” in Karachi represent the deterioration and decay of the values and character of general citizenry as a whole. The Government or the Police alone cannot be held responsible for this situation. All citizens of the Karachi feel saddened on this decay of their once peaceful and vibrant city. We all have to roll up our sleeves and work hand in hand with our authorities to get hold of this calamity and turn it around before total anarchy breaks out. In our resolve on this matter we should all be UNITED.
All organizations and Parties (PPP, MQM, ANP, MQM (Haqqiqi), Jamaat-i-Islami or Sunni Tehrik etc PPP, MQM, ANP, MQM (Haqqiqi), Jamaat-i-Islami or Sunni Tehrik etc), along with all citizen should resolve earnestly to unite against this lawless situation. We are, it seems, reverting back to the “stone ages”. We all feel extremely disappointed in ourselves collectively and individually. ENOUGH IS ENOUGH.
We could not blame judiciary for everything, they have some limits, every person and institute has their own responsibility. It is responsibility of central government as well as sindh government. People of Karachi are most responsible for it.
An unmistakeable sign of a state on verge of collapse..
Don’t blame it on judiciary & law enforcement agency. It’s well knows that political parties who are in Govt. are responsible OR perhaps the people of Karachi, who brings them in power? Can anyone deny or disagree that killings is everyday game in Khi?
It appears that things will go like this in future as well, whether we likes it or not. The same people will rule, even any party comes into power.
The time has arrived for the people of KARACHI to stand together. All MULLAHS should condemn target killings. They should propogate on a regular basis, in the newspapers and in sermons delivered on fridays. They should preach the true policies of ISLAM. It is only the people who will able to solve these problems.
Pakistan has been Intolerant of all the small minorities – and now they have come to a stage where they cannot tolerate each other.
Perhaps it started when all of you tolerated some really bad leadership over the years
Absolutely correct Bharat, there is a saying in our religion, that you will get the same kind of leaders as the kind of people you are yourself, in other words “Pakistanis” in general think corruption is OK – so they got the leadership they deserve
The Big question is : What is our law enforcement agency doing?
It is their responsibility to eliminate the criminals. They are paid for this.
Yeah, Sabeen, you made a point that is always at the back of my mind, which I also sometimes make to people, when discussing militancy; namely how can the government claim to “defeat” the militants in the north, if it can’t control Karachi? Karachi, Balochistan and FATA are a ring of insecurity and low level chaos all around the Indus farming plain. What do you do with a situation like this? Will the government accept that this is close to the nature of the problem of security in Pakistan itself, and then implement a democratic plan to deal with this issue?
If our judiciary had taken a notice of 12th May, 2007 killings notice then this target killing might have stopped. But as the terrorists seen there is no rule of law in this country so they continued their dirty business. State of shame for law enforcers.