Shifting the current paradigm of security state, zero tolerance for weapons, fair civic governance and respect to diversity are the need of the time to achieve sustainable peace and development in the country.
This was observed by speakers at a roundtable conference titled ‘Sustainable Development for Sustainable Peace’ arranged by the Strengthening Participatory Organisation (SPO) on Friday. Welcoming the participants and introducing the forum’s theme, SPO Chief Executive Naseer Memon said the conference was timely as “we think peace in Karachi is essential for a prosperous Pakistan”.
Presenting his paper ‘Karachi’s Violence: Dualities and Negotiations’, Haris Gazdar said ethnic and political reasons are behind the violence in Karachi as political parties have stable support bases among many ethnic groups and localities but this is not as bad as it might appear. “Political parties can overcome violence through dialogue” he added.
In his detailed paper, he elaborated through the compiled data that all parties are “over-performing” in elections. Gazdar also suggested that agreements among diverse political constituencies are the need for economic growth in Pakistan to benefit from Sindh’s resources. Senator Hasil Bizenjo said that violence in Karachi started in the 1980s and has become a monster now.
“The violence in Karachi is sponsored; till the end of this sponsorship, violence cannot be curbed,” he added. “Violence in politics being faced by the citizens was started by Jamaat-e-Islami (JI), which was supported by the State. JI is a baby of General Ziaul Haq that developed the policy of violence in politics as ‘Al-Zulfiqar’ first started the use of Kalashnikovs.
Afterwards, the Muttahida Qaumi Movement (MQM) was weaponised by the State institutions as after the Movement for the Restoration of Democracy (MRD), the State, thinking that it will lose control in Sindh, patronised MQM and expanded it.” Bizenjo was of the view that unless the State withdraws its support of violent politics, the issue of Karachi cannot be resolved.
Well-known poet and intellectual Fehmida Riaz opined that alliances can be an answer to the Karachi situation as politics have become ethnic-based. “The Pakistan People’s Party (PPP), MQM and Awami National Party (ANP) are on the same page as they do not support religious or sectarian violence or thoughts,” she added. “The State allowed some parties to become armed and it should now stop this game.”
Presenting his point of view, Senator Dr Abdul Malik said that the main political parties do compromise but have divided their areas. “We will be able to restore peace through the electoral process,” he maintained. Jami Chandio said the issue of Karachi should be dealt as a provincial issue and developmental progress should not be focused there while diversity should be respected.
“The burden on Karachi can be reduced if other cities are developed as diversity has become unfortunate for the city. The tendency for political hegemonies should be ended. The MQM has made Karachi hostage through violence and wants its monopoly. Following the MQM, other groups have also started working on the same pattern,” he claimed. Chandio added that elections in Karachi are a “big fraud” and there is a need to decentralise the city’s administration.
Renowned writer Amar Sindhu shared that violence is the result of dictatorships but this situation is more than violence. “This is fascism. We are facing urban and religious fascism and to control this we have to have political dialogues,” she pointed out. Journalist Mazhar Abbas termed the current violence as a planned conspiracy to sabotage democracy and political system.
“If the Pakistani establishment does not stop violence, peace will not come. After the MRD, the army thought that feudal were protesting against the army, that is why they wanted to stop the political process,” he added. “At that time student union elections were not allowed because they wanted to de-politicise the system. The Inter-Services Intelligence has divided the political forces. What is going on in the city now is also a part of de-politicising the society as Karachi has become ungoverned.”
Anchorperson Naseem Zehra was of the view that every person is putting the blame on the establishment but the establishment should not be more important or powerful than the political parties and the parliament. “Despite bad governance, the credit goes to the PPP government for engaging all political forces and introducing a new trend of politics,” she said.
“What Dr Mirza revealed was right but nobody knows when the wounds of Sindhi people will be repaired. Just as all Sindhi speakers are not supporters of PPP, all Urdu-speaking people are also not supporters of MQM. I am also an Urdu speaker but not a supporter of MQM,” she added. On the occasion, Faisal Subzwari of the MQM said that before 1986, every hand was extended to kill the people of Karachi but it was stopped as terror is not a solution of every issue.
“The MQM has supported the electronic voters system. It is not possible that the MQM reverts to the Mohajir Qaumi Movement,” he added. Subzwari admitted that the MQM is not receiving a good response in Punjab at the movement but hoped that with the passage of time, things will become positive. He stressed the need for police comprising locals in cities and also accepted that bad people could be present in the MQM.
Abrar Qazi said that the establishment and the civil-military bureaucracy are the root-cause of the violence in Sindh. “Political parties are working across Pakistan, but why is the situation different in Karachi and why are other political parties not allowed to work?” he asked. Former minister and writer Javed Jabbar in his concluding note said that for sustainable peace in Karachi, security agencies should be impartial and show zero tolerance for weapons.
“Fair civic governance, cultural infrastructure and respectful development are also necessary,” he added. Terming that peace is only possible by human development in the current situation, Jabbar ended his speech on an optimistic note by urging the civil society to become involved in the peace process.
