Not the army’s cup of tea
Whenever the army leadership speaks on an issue outside its purview, one is forced to read the statement carefully to ensure one is not missing the fine print. Like other bodies under the civilian government, the army is concerned about the unending killing spree in Karachi. One expects that like the civilian law enforcement agencies, the army too would provide its inputs directly to the government instead of issuing public statements. Rather than improving the situation, public ventilation of concerns by the army tends to cause apprehensions.
That having been said, the military’s statement can certainly serve as a wake-up call. The failure to bring peace to Karachi would be remembered as one of the biggest shortcomings of the government. The Sindh administration has failed to take firm action against the gangs of criminals involved in target killing or their patrons for fear that this might deprive the PPP government at the Centre of its majority. The ill-advised policy of trying to contain one set of killers by encouraging another set of killers has led to further deterioration of law and order. This has led to the three coalition partners publicly accusing one another of harbouring mafias and criminals of all sorts in their ranks. One may very well realise the plight of the common man when those supposed to provide him security fail to rein in elements in their ranks involved in target killings. Whenever a group finds that it has been outgunned by another, it calls on the army to restore law and order in Karachi.
The changing ethnic realities in Karachi are one of the major causes of discord between the MQM, PPP and ANP. Land and drug mafias, criminals of all sorts and religious extremists have exploited the situation to achieve their own objectives. There is a need on the part of the members of the ruling coalition to take note of the changing ground realities and evolve a formula to live peacefully together. Unless they do this, the situation is likely to continue to deteriorate. The law enforcement agencies, be they civil or military, can bring peace to the city only for a limited time and that too at a great price in terms of human life and civil liberties. Political problems can best be solved politically.