Karachi’s drift towards civil war

Political government needs to steady matters before they get out of control

The façade of peace in Karachi has been broken after the elections. No honeymoon has been offered to the Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP)-led government as the violence has returned to where it was left off. The city remains divided in turf wars between ethnic groups, political parties and clashes between gangs and law-enforcers. Everyday seems to produce two or three incidents, that if not managed could spiral the city into a mini-civil war. On Saturday, three political workers, two of them belonging to the Awami National Party (ANP) and one to the Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf (PTI) were shot dead near Lasbella Chowk. The incident was followed by a shutter down strike and fear in the area, where empty roads were seen after the incident. In Qasba Colony, a police sub-inspector was shot dead, but police suggested he was shot for “being a policeman”, as were many others. No one was identified as a suspect. In Lyari, the clash was directly between local gangsters and the Rangers.

After Rangers personnel raided the area, two suspects were shot, while an LMG, a rocket launcher and five assault AK-47 rifles were among the recovered weaponry. When one of the suspected gangsters died, violence broke out in parts of the area with heavy arms, hand-grenades and rockets were used. The Muttahida Qaumi Movement chief Altaf Hussain pitched in his two bits. Not a man for subtlety, Hussain issued a threat, “We know where the criminals are hiding and we also know how to pull them out of their hideouts.” He also spoke of supporting the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz if it manages to “reign in the gangsters”. It is a constitution of the MQM’s new line to the centre, when out of government, it is now looking to the federal government for support and shelter.

The MQM itself must continue to show restraint while it is “reorganising” itself to present a more acceptable face. With the PML-N pitching Mumtaz Bhutto’s credentials as governor of Sindh, the PPP Information Minister Sharjeel Memon has come out against it. But Memon also made two more statements: one, he spoke against the threat of the imposition of governor rule; two, he invited other political parties to join the treasury benches. This suggests that the PPP is still willing to let the MQM join government. Perhaps the move could prevent a mini-civil war of breaking out in the mega city. With the situation getting worse every day, the situation cannot be allowed to continue as it is. The provincial government must act decisively, the fate of the economy and the 20 million plus citizens of Karachi are at stake.