My spirits have turned down with due intensity by the years, seeing the city of lights becoming a place of havoc. Karachi is known to be one of the largest cities of the world. Where cities like Shanghai and Istanbul have evolved greatly by the years, our city, which used to be an extremely delightful place, is apparently on its way to decline.
The city today faces a great sense of insecurity and turbulence. Ruthless killing of innocent citizens has become a norm. A person can never have the surety that he would reach his destination safely. It is terrible seeing alignment of multicoloured flags of political parties instead of the green Pakistani flags. People seem to have forgotten the fact that they have been blessed with a country to live as ‘one’. Unity and peace is what the Quaid-e-Azam taught- and this what Islam lectures upon too. But anyone can perceive disharmony, disparity and utter disorder, after visiting Karachi nowadays.
It is not only target killing that has dismantled the environment, but several other terror based activities under street crime have vitally played a negative role in dragging the place into ruin. The youth of the city is specially targeted in mobile snatching. They have been the biggest target for the culprits.
Almost every single man is armed and one can never believe that the person right next is innocent and chaste. According statistics by the Citizen Police Liaison Committee (CPLC), a number of 1763 cars and 1709 mobile phones have been stolen in April 2012. There has been increase in kidnappings for ransom as 46 people have been kidnapped in 2012 up till now. These figures seem to increase day by day, keeping in mind the present situation in mind.
What could be the best solution? There is a need to revive the hopes that the people have lost through the years. This may be possible if a triangular relation between the politicians, the law enforcement agencies, and the public is developed, which would result in reminding each of them about the problems that have vastly caused unrest in the huge metropolitan city, and a hub of trade for the state.
This would seem too common and way too difficult keeping in mind the foreign intervention factor, and the “war against terrorism”, which seems to be endless. But if we put ourselves with due patriotism and good will, the given solution can be executed in real, and the devastating scenario of Karachi can reverse back into a peaceful one which surely would be a gateway to the city’s prosperity and would ostensibly result in the success and harmony in the blessed country.
M IBRAHIM TARIQ
Lahore