The MQM is not displaying political wisdom by playing the politics of power in the Karachi by creating turmoil in the city. The credibility of its leaders was damaged as they claimed that they will never rejoin the PPP Government but one phone callwas enough to change their decision. President Zardari is playing politics of self interest and is ready to pay any price to complete five years as a president and to have majority in the Senate in March 2012. He was so anxious to have Dr. Ishratul Ibad of MQM as a Sindh Governor that he sent a chartered plane to bring him back from Dubai. Who paid for the chartered plane? Was it not taxpayer money?
I would like to know why the political parties in Karachi and particularly the MQM who has the largest mandate of Karachi’s citizen is playing politics at the cost of human lives. Is there any moral justification to use street violence as a tool for their political strategy? Is it not the responsibilities and obligation of political parties to citizens to help secure the lives and property of citizens even if they are not in the government?
Unfortunately in Pakistan, one of the causes for the failure of democracy are the workings of political parties who are providing shelter to criminals and arming their workers with lethal weapons. The Governor Sindh’s return and the PPP’s reconciliation mantra may prevail for sometime but without deweaponising the country, and particularly Karachi, there will be no permanent peace. The need of the hour is form peace committee at grass root level to bring together all citizens of Karachi to a one-point agenda of stop killing. These committees must be join hands with civil society (NGO) to investigate who are killer and devise ways to ensure that the violence is stemmed.
The politics of divide and rule must end in Karachi.
S T HUSSAIN
Lahore
