Karachi -the economic hub of Pakistan is on fire. No 'panacea' is available in the market to ameliorate the situation; no knight-errant in the nation to bind and gag the Bigfoot of destruction. What about involving the Scotland Yard to investigate the matter in Karachi? Please don't take it for a sneer because I am really crestfallen at whatever is going on in Shehr-i- Quaid.
I am afraid; you may consider this suggestion as a bum steer since the Yard has never been riding high to come up with a clue in the murder of Benazir Bhutto. Besides, the criminals are sharper, indeed, and would definitely rinse the signs and proofs out before the investigators arrive in. More gnomic is Rehman Malik's statement that situation in Karachi cannot improve overnight and there are some forces who hatch conspiracies to destabilise the city. Malik, moreover, holds a 'third illusory force' culpable for the hellish turmoil in the megalopolis. Can Rehman Malik -the king of security-exactly name the forces behind the gory drama in Karachi? Of course he can't because he can't. But what he can tell you the most is his jonesing for banning pillion ride in Karachi.
Targeted killings in Karachi are a glaring example of government's failure to protect the life and property of its citizens. The 'coalition remedy' has turned to be a lemon to untangle the ethnic complexities of Karachi, more's the pity. No doubt, presenting deweaponization bill in the National Assembly is good, but it's not a solution to the problem, which has taken its roots deep enough. It shows that the government gives its eye-teeth for treating the symptoms rather than the causes, leaving thousands of innocent people at the mercy of guns and bullets.
The city has been a byword for absorbing different waves of migrations. The recent wave of migration from north into the city has put a strain on already stretched resources of the city. Karachi, instead of becoming a melting point of different ethnicities, turned into a battleground for different ethnic groups. Under the influence of racial antipathy, stout hearts have become pokey for one another. The bickering was exploited by certain groups for their vested interests. Politically speaking, MQM is against ANP just because of its burgeoning rise, but on the other side, it used to appreciate Beharis influx in the area. The MQM was in favour of Beharis as it could be used against the influence of Sindhis in Karachi. Similarly, PPP cannot swallow the rising influence of MQM too.
The murky aspect of the situation is that of the 'mafia rule' which has pushed the city into the throes of violence. As a matter of fact, Karachi is being ruled by syndicates of well-trained criminals with or without any ideological bent. Land and drug mafias along with criminal groups have blend so badly that none can uncouple them. The government has missed the mark in providing civic amenities to the people of the area-for example, the problem of housing and water has been badly hitting the residents of the area. The dominant groups (mafias) are making best of the opportunity by furnishing basic facilities to the locals and thus axing the hands of the law enforcing agencies. To a large extent, the government hinges upon the private sector to provide these facilities to the stricken population of the target region.
Can anybody answer that for how long the city will suffer in silence? Why the day government has failed to realise the gravity of the situation, while understanding the bitter reality that targeted killing is being done by a broad array of doers. Actually, the vested interests of different groups have prompted several gangs to kill each other and as a result innocent people are falling like ninepins. Karachi generates 70 percent of the government's revenue while 25 percent of gross domestic product- the figure is enough to highlight the role of Karachi in the economy of the country. According to an estimate just one day closure of business wipes out Rs 4 billion. Apart from this, the investors consider the situation kick in the teeth to invest a single penny. The eruption of violence, we must remember, in the metropolis is tantamount to kneel over the economic boat of the country.
None, later on, would be able to compensate this collateral damage at any point of time. Though the city has witnessed such sporadic carnage from time to time, the political governments have never been able to come up with any definite solution. The day situation proves that the military operations conducted in past, in the city, were not successful. The then government just suppressed the elements rather than wiping them out. The then regimes have been low achievers because they treated political and ethnic issues with an iron hand. We should learn a lesson from our past and must come up with a wise solution-a solution- lending an ever-lasting peace to city of love, economy and lights. The writer is a Lahore-based writer.