Ethnic violence that engulfed Karachi in 1985 continues to rage. Periodic rounds of killings and counter-killings are increasing in frequency. To put an end to this, apart from effective policing, what is required is building up of trust between the two main ethno-communities. This requires a mechanism for continual dialogue.
City council, which is city governments assembly, would be an excellent forum for this purpose. Under our present system, there are only single-seat constituencies, and a candidate has merely to secure a plurality to become a councillor. Such an arrangement puts a community, which is concentrated in only a few localities but has a large population, at considerable disadvantage. Thus the Pashtuns, who number over three million in the city, fail to get enough representation to be able to contribute to the decision-making process.
Therefore, future elections, particularly for the city council of Karachi, should be held according to the proportional representation formula as used in Germany which accommodates diversity but not at the cost of instability. Next LG polls are going to be held this year. The relevant law is yet to be promulgated. So that Pashtuns get fair representation in the council, Government of Sindh would be well advised to incorporate a clause in the new law that mandates holding elections on proportional representational basis in Karachi.
JAVED ASGHER
Lahore
