Co-chairing a special meeting at the Chief Minister's House on Sunday, Sindh Chief Minister Syed Qaim Ali Shah and Interior Minister Rehman Malik mulled over the fresh eruption of violence set off by targeted killings of political activists in Karachi. Aside from deciding to give a free hand to police and the Rangers to take action, without discrimination, against all those disturbing the city's peace, the meeting urged political parties to purge violent elements from their ranks. More specifically, the Interior Minister ordered removal of party flags from public property with immediate effect.
He said that station house officers (SHOs) would be held responsible if party flags are not removed from government buildings, bridges, poles and other public property within their respective jurisdiction. The parties will be required to obtain permission from the local administration to display flags on special occasions. This is a much-needed measure for Karachi where politico-ethnic divisions are deep and tensions run high.
It may be recalled that the minister had announced a similar decision in the wake of an earlier outbreak of violence in the city, but nothing much was done by way of implementation. Hopefully, things will be different this time, and the government's resolve will not dissipate in a matter of weeks, or even days. Display of party symbols on public property is simply impermissible. There is nothing wrong if leaders, activists and supporters of various political parties fly their respective flags on party offices or homes. That is a common practice in other parts of the country. Nonetheless, in Karachi it is done mostly to mark political turf - actually, more like a red rag to the bull than a plain show of strength - reinforcing divisions and causing violence, and hence ought to be discouraged as far as possible.
Another related unsavoury practice is for incumbents of top government positions, both at the federal and provincial levels, to use party flags alongside the national standard on official cars, in offices and at every available forum. Nowhere else in the world democratically elected leaders make such show of party affiliations. In fact, once elected, presidents, prime ministers, ministers, and chief ministers are expected to serve all citizens without any prejudice to party affiliations. It is common, therefore, for newly elected leaders to formally state that they would serve not only those who voted for them, but all people across party lines. And of course, the flag they fly, alongside the national standard, represents the office they occupy, not the party that helped them win that office.