This is with reference to the excellent editorial published in your issue dated 15 July on the unwarranted outburst of Zulfiqar Mirza and the equally condemnable reaction by those who felt agitated by these remarks.
In any case, political representatives have no business to come on television and vent their personal opinions, as long as they hold such public offices, which includes our parliamentarians elected on party tickets. The violence that is being resorted to by political activists in Karachi is unique to this city.
For such violence to become a regular feature in Karachi reflects badly on those who claim political clout there. We saw this immediately after the tragic assassination of Mohtarama Benzair Bhutto, whose death was mourned in every part of the country peacefully, even by her adversaries.
When former Prime Minister Zulfikar Ali Bhutto was murdered, his supporters in Rawalpindi, Lahore and Peshawar protested and self immolated despite the martial law. When Nawab Akbar Bugti was murdered, there were peaceful protests all over the country. But it is not so in Karachi.
We saw this on 12 May and repeatedly thereafter. People have witnessed the ransacking of a restaurant in Karachi’s Clifton area, which was owned by a man, with affiliations to the opposition.
Karachi is today termed amongst the most dangerous cities of Asia courtesy this politics of violence and various mafia gangs which enjoy support of powerful elements.
The state must exercise its writ to protect lives and properties of citizens, because the democratic right is only to lodge peaceful protests. Those in power must be seen to abide by laws, not look the other way when it is being broken.
MALIK T ALI
Lahore
Why is everybody in this country afraid of taking the name of MQM, which started all this violence in Karachi. That is the bitter truth, which even the press is afraid of uttering. Yes the PPP is responsible for it has intentionaly failed to allow the police to take action against these criminal elements and is now itself involved in these mafia gangs. Have we forgotten the attempt by CM Sindh's Advisor to illegaly occupy KPT land in Mai Kolachi?. It is afailure of the state itself.
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