The bloodbath in Karachi has continued almost uninterrupted for more than two years of the present administration. Yesterday was no exception, with violence in the citys shipyard, leaving at least 13 dead. To many, it is the outcome of a war of turfs between the three partners of the ruling coalition. There is a perception that instead of bringing the land mafia, drug mafia and criminal gangs of all sorts under control, coalition partners are in fact relying on them to advance their agenda and in the process playing in their hands. This is why those suspected of being behind the killings or arrested in this connection are never brought to justice. While forming the coalition in Sindh, it was given out by the PPP leadership that a joining of hands by these parties identified with three major ethnic groups was needed to bring peace to Karachi. This has failed to happen despite several visits by the prime minister to the metropolis for the express purpose of resolving the differences. Many more people have been killed in Karachi by the urban terrorists than by their counterparts coming from the tribal areas.
Instead of making the anti-terrorism laws more drastic (by giving confessional statements before police a legal status as visualized by the interior minister) what is needed is for the coalition partners to iron out their differences over Local Bodies elections, reintegration of districts bifurcated under Musharraf, mushrooming of Amn Committees and anything else that keeps them divided.
A lot of infighting will end if it is realized by the coalition partners that the mega city has been developed jointly by people from all over the country. As MQM tries to expand to other provinces and its chief says the partys destiny is revolution, it has to understand that no single ethnic group can claim to be the sole proprietor of what constitutes the industrial heartland of Pakistan and that all Pakistanis have a right to work, own property and reside in the city. The ruling partners should resolve their differences keeping the basic reality in mind. Their failure to do so does not portend well for the system. Calls are already being made by some in their own ranks to hand over the city to the army. This constitutes a serious reflection on the performance of the Sindh government. Peace has to return to Karachi to restore the lost glory to the city of lights.