It’s been two weeks that the city of lights, Karachi, is under the shadows of death and violence and is facing deteriorating law and order situation due to recent wave of violence which was, primarily, erupted after a statement by the Sindh senior minister Zulfiqar Mirza about the MQM leadership. Though Mr Mirza apologised over his remarks and upon the MQM chief Altaf Hussain’s ‘request’ peace was maintained in the city, but it proved to be an illusion for the citizens of Karachi.
President Zardari spent a day in Karachi upon his return from Iran and during his visit to the city he presided over a high level meeting to address the issue of violence in the financial capital. Although the president expressed his deep concern over the Karachi situation and directed the Sindh home minister Manzoor Wasan to take some immediate and serious measures to maintain peace in the city, yet, keeping in view the previous performance of federal as well as provincial governments, this exercise seems only pomp and show to a common citizen.
The story does not end here; rather it takes a dramatic turn as Rehman Malik has ‘disclosed’ that Israel-made weapons had been recovered from trouble-makers in Karachi. The interior minister is among those all-knowing political-cum-security gurus who know the reasons of almost everything whatever happens across the country and he has an answer to almost every question regarding the law and order situation.
Mr Malik also told that some external hands are involved in the unrest in Karachi and not only weapons but also target killers. If the interior minister is sure, and definitely he would be, that the weapons recovered in Karachi are Israel-made and some or all of the killers are also foreigners, then this game of blood-and-burn is not that much simple and it has many layers which need to be unfolded with full determination.
ATIF K BUTT
Lahore
