Will Karachi ever be able to get rid of all the gore?
Karachi, the financial jugular of Pakistan, has somehow been jinxed so that it gains a lot of media attention for all the wrong reasons. This is a sorry state of affairs for any patriotic citizen who would want the economic capital of the country to flourish.
However, efforts have been made time and again – to reform, correct and improve Karachi. The recent operation against gangsters and extortion mafias is a slight ray of hope that things might finally change for the city – and its residents.
But what are the dynamics of this operation? What is actually happening behind the curtains? And what is the outcome? These are some key questions. Again, old power structures are breaking, but are they giving way to new power structures is another question that haunts the spectators.
“The presence of many variations definitely leads to problems,” said Tariq Mahmood, a senior official at a multi-national and a resident of Karachi for almost 25 years. “Every group has different interests so there is this conflict of interest that badly affects many spans of life. However, we do see improvements in current times which are going to lead us to a brighter future.”
Glory lost
International publications have long talked about Karachi, not as a glorious seaport, but as an inferno of dead bodies piling up day in and day out. This loss of glory has definitely affected foreign direct investment, new start-ups and any tourism potential that the city could boast.
“Street crime is always there,” Mahmood continued sharing his experience as a resident of the city. “And the much talked about target killing has been here for ages. Everyone holds his life dear, and this affects the quality of life that people at Karachi can have.”
If such crimes can affect the life of a common man, it is natural that these scare the hell out of outsiders, who prefer to stay away from such a place. The business losses, if they could be quantified, are definitely worth billions.
“Common sense dictates that just one group cannot be the cause of all these security issues,” said Anum Bint Sagheer, another Karachi resident who recently relocated from Islamabad.
“The problem is the assembling of so many ethnic groups in one city. And various ethnic groups have various areas all to themselves, making it difficult for others. That’s the point from which security issues stem.”
Hence, it follows naturally that rather than blindly following the hype, any responsible citizen needs to delve deeply into the issue. The culprits on the screen might be different, but what goes behind the curtain is a separate story that many don’t have the apparatus to find out!
International publications have long talked about Karachi, not as a glorious seaport, but as an inferno of dead bodies piling up day in and day out. This loss of glory has definitely affected foreign direct investment, new start-ups and any tourism potential that the city could boast
‘Winter is coming’
Just like winter coming to Westeros might send a chill down the spine of any Game of Thrones character, Rangers coming over to Karachi might not be a good idea for all the troublemakers out there. But the problem is whether the Rangers at Karachi have been able to do what they were supposed to do.
“The strict action taken by Rangers has challenged the traditional power dealers in Karachi,” said Dr Hassan Askari Rizvi, eminent political scientist and security analyst.
“One of the targets is MQM, but there are other groups that have been hit consequently. The outcome has been positive, and it was reflected by the increase in activity in Karachi over Eid.”
Muhammad Amir Rana, another notable analyst, agreed on this point.
“I think the operation will have a positive impact overall,” he added. “Different gangs have been crushed, the crime level has reduced, and terrorism activity has dropped. There might also be good effects aesthetically. So, yes, overall it has helped Karachi. And a visible change in life has occurred.”
So, the operation apparently has brought good news for the residents, and consequently “winter” for the mafia. However, has all this led to an improvement in the quality of life or not? Only a resident can answer this question.
“There has been a noticeable decrease in street crime and target killing,” Mahmood told DNA. “This was a major, major issue. And although it has not been eradicated completely, a lot has been done. There still are these sorts of killings, but again two to three people in a while which is a marked difference from previous times.”
It is evident from these words that although the problem has not been uprooted; a lesser evil is now there for the people of Karachi, as compared to earlier times.
Accentuating his point with a more specific example, Mahmood added, “Things are definitely improving after the Rangers’ operation. One example is a business of Rs70 billion being undertaken around Eid in Karachi? If things had not improved, who would have dared doing so much business? Would shoppers have come out in such numbers? And again, half of the revenue would have been lost to extortion.”
The issue however remains that whatever has happened has owed a lot to the army. In a country where the military has ruled for almost 30 years, this could pose another problem. Could it lead to a coup or would good things follow?
“The civil government was unable to deal with the situation, therefore rangers were called in” Dr Rizvi explained.
“Over time, it was realised that this was a good step. Naturally MQM was hit, as it was the most powerful and dominating force, managing an alternative government system. “
Rana also clarified that nothing was worrying about the legality of the entire process.
“The Rangers operation is not something new. It can be dated back to 2012, and the apex court was involved in it. It is nothing unlawful. The military was later taken on board by the Rangers,” he commented.
“It is not really the defeat of the civilian structure. The military interfered in order to provide security to the masses, and to reduce the crime rate. It’s not a political manoeuvre or a coup.”
The axe of the establishment and various security agencies has also cut down other evils that are not generally pointed out in the media.
“Merit and nepotism was one issue, which led to a lot of discontent among the masses,” Mahmood raised another point. “But recently we have Rangers and FIA and NAB working on corruption, and they have been eradicating a lot of evils, which is a positive sign.”
Therefore, bad news awaits the bad guys. However, in our euphoria of things finally settling down, we should not forget that Karachi has generally been labelled to be a simmering cauldron that could explode any moment. It is therefore imperative for the security forces to handle this cauldron with caution, and dispose of all its layers not just the superficial ones! Rather than running after just one or two political parties, all the disturbing factors must be introduced to the chilly winter. That is most important.
Karachi for the common man
The ongoing battle of glory against gore is something that the media talks about a lot. However, to someone living in Karachi there are many other problems to worry about. Such concerns also need to be addressed.
“The problem is how many problems should I narrate for someone living in Karachi,” Anum lamented when questioned about the impediments of life. “Even rain is more of a bane than a blessing.”
“Karachi is expanding both horizontally and vertically,” she added. “The street system is therefore affected. New storeys of flats are added very frequently and this expansion is doing no one any good. There is a population explosion, which is creating a lot of problems. Even we owe the heat wave to this unruly expansion. Because when flats over flats are added, there is a lot of humidity. And heat plus humidity kills.”
Mahmood also acknowledged that Karachi advanced a lot of problems that need to be addressed.
“When it comes to the life of a common man at Karachi, there are many obstacles in the way of a smooth sail and a hassle-free life,” he raised his concerns.
“The tanker mafia is one example. Again a layman cannot do much about it. Water is a big issue. Then we have this power issue, not as bad as Punjab though – but for the economic jugular of the country this matters a lot.”
Anum, however, holds the unruly population explosion responsible for many of the evils.
“The water shortage is mainly due to the population issue,” she asserted. “With so many flats and buildings everywhere how can water be provided to all levels?”
However, do the problems end here? No, they actually go on and on.
Anum started listing down her many concerns, that she or any other resident definitely needs addressed for a more peaceful life.
So we see a future Karachi with more security and more political parties, however the previous ones cannot be completely wiped off
“Question remains that are there are six traffic lanes on a four-lane road, what can anyone do? Infrastructure improvement is the need of the hour,” she said. “Again we are losing on a lot of potential revenue. We have such a wide beach, and it has a huge tourism potential. But due to lack of maintenance, we are losing out on a lot of tourism revenue.”
It is the right of every citizen of the country to have a peaceful life where he can function smoothly and enjoy his life to the fullest. With people worrying over everyday issues like water and infrastructure, can one really expect a major chunk of the country’s educated labour force to work productively? Of course not! Such grass-root level problems need to be addressed along with security concerns.
What the future Karachi should look like
With the Rangers’ operation in full swing, it is probable that some change will be observed.
“Security is probably going to improve, but there will be challenges anyhow that will continue,” Rana opined.
Again, Dr Rizvi agreed on this point.
“The Rangers’ intervention will definitely work to diminish the role of various parties in Karachi.”
But with the older power groups in trouble, will new political parties gain momentum?
“It is a possibility that there will be an increase in the role of other political parties in Karachi, especially PTI. We would probably see other political parties active in Karachi, and MQM too will stay as a political force,” Dr Rizvi said.
However, everyone would agree that despite the slight changes, MQM still rules the heart.
“There might be changes in the political scenario of Karachi. PTI might make inroads,” Amir Rana stated. “But as you can see, MQM did win the by-election already. Therefore, no one can question the popular public support it enjoys in Karachi. But yes there will be some changes.”
This is probably true, and has an intuitive appeal if we look at the dynamics of Karachi.
“MQM is not going to disappear,” Dr Rizvi too held the same opinion.
“It has delivered to the common man what the state has failed to deliver. But besides delivering, it also punishes people. I think its capacity to punish people will diminish. But it will continue to be there as a political force due to all the contributions it has made in Karachi. Moreover, it also represents a major ethnic group of Karachi, which is a very important factor.”
So we see a future Karachi with more security and more political parties, however the previous ones cannot be completely wiped off.
But our concern here does not merely end on the tug of war -going on among the major groups. Rather, the common man needs to be heard.
To Anum, expansion is troubling and needs to be checked.
“There was this Hadith in which the Prophet (P.B.U.H) advised to build new cities rather than expand existing ones,” she said.
“I think that holds true for Karachi, owing to the fact that the main issues of Karachi are arising due to unsustainable expansion. The government should be actually providing good opportunities to people of Karachi elsewhere, so that the city is vacated a bit. So I think planning needs to be better. And expansion has to be stopped.”
From the above analysis it follows that the Rangers’ operation is a progressive step. However, the operation has to be more comprehensive than just focusing on a few segments. Yes, we hope to see more political diversity in Karachi but old ones are going nowhere. And again, the civilian set-up needs to address the concerns and queries that arise in everyday life as well. Population is a major problem, which not only serves as an impediment to the provision of facilities, but also leads to ethnic diversity which in turn leads to conflicts of interest and ethnic battles.
This is a very sensitive era for the city, and the civilian and military apparatus should join hands to ensure a new chapter of history.
