This is with reference to the statement given by Mr Zulfiqar Mirza and its resultant political fallout in the city. Karachi is witnessing a low intensity conflict.
The city of the Quaid has been hijacked by the sub-nationalists parties and their leaders. The leadership will not admit it but criminal elements armed to the teeth have political backing of the parties and are engaged in the politics of violence in the city. Their armed thugs challenge the writ of the government every day, yet the government is helpless and has left the poor people on their mercy. The state chooses not to interfere while the city burns in the “politics of hate”.
The rich, powerful and mighty leaders of the sub nationalist parties all want a hand in the governance of the city to ensure they control the security apparatus of the city, not because they want to make Karachi a safe and secure city.
What people of Karachi yearn for today is for is peace and security, freedom of movement, freedom from fear and the right to live a normal peaceful life.
Who will give them that? Not the leaders who are igniting the emotions of their followers by constant barrages of accusations and counter accusations but the institution that does not lay claim of owning the city and that carries the pedigree of having once flushed this city from criminal elements.
Can Pakistan afford “state paralysis”? For the sake of the people of Karachi and for the sake of the country, the state must chose to act in Karachi now and come out in force to establish its writ. Otherwise it will be too late.
LT COL (Retd) MOHAMMAD ALI EHSAN
Karachi
(II)
This is not the first time that Zulfiqar Mirza has used such foul language against MQM. Every time he makes a statement against the MQM, the leadership of PPP has to rush to London or Nine Zero to apologise to MQM. Zulfiqar Mirza’s recent utterances against MQM were totally uncalled for. Being a senior minister in the Sindh cabinet, it was unwise on his part to use abusive language against the MQM chief, especially when relations between the PPP and MQM were strained.
President Asif Zardari has called for a report and says it’s not the party’s line. How ridiculous is the clarification. Mirza is the senior minister in the Sindh cabinet what he says represents his party’s views. Criticism is democratic right of everybody but it has to be within civilised norms.
His few words have caused a loss of roughly Rs 5 billon to the national exchequer apart from denying many daily wagers from their day’s earnings. Furthermore, lives of 12 innocent people have been lost.
Zulfiqar Mirza owes an apology not only to MQM alone but to the rest of the people of Pakistan for using abusive language against a popular political leader.
MUKHTAR AHMED
Karachi
