Shadows loom over the ‘City of Lights’
Karachi was just heaving a sigh of relief at the nabbing of the ‘knife-attacker’ on women when it was racked by a double jolt of pain: It has been ranked as the most dangerous city of the world and more specifically, the second most dangerous mega city in the world for women. These announcements came amidst a plea by veteran cricketer Shahid Afridi to expand international cricket in Pakistan from Lahore to other cities, including Karachi. Needless to say, Afridi’s cause stands a weak chance, at least in the near future.
A report from the Economist Intelligence Unit, entitled the Safe Cities Index 2017, scored cities on their ‘digital security, health security, infrastructure security and personal security, which combined to create each one’s overall ranking’.The most dangerous cities were all located in South and South East Asia, the Middle East or Africa, with Karachi in Pakistan deemed the most dangerous using the index’s criteria. If this wasn’t enough, the Thomson Reuters Foundation survey asked experts in women’s issues in 19 megacities ‘how well women are protected from sexual violence, from harmful cultural practices, and if they have access to good healthcare, finance and education’.Karachi, a city of around 16 million people, fared the second worst globally.
Although, only last year, personal security issues seemed to have improved owing to crackdown operations against criminals, with the rating of Karachi dropping in the world crime index from 6th in 2014 to 31st in 2016, the case seems to have reversed. In terms of infrastructure security, with the provincial chief minister admitting that ‘Karachi traffic is already bad’, the traffic woes of Karachites are about to worsen as mega development projects including construction of underpasses and flyovers are due to start in the megapolis this month and expected to continue until early next year.
Key factors: rapid population growth
Why are things so bad in Karachi? Among the myriad of complex issues which have contributed to the worrying situation in the former capital of Pakistan, there maybe some factors which are overlooked. Karachi was a small, obscure fishing village as recently as the early nineteenth century. Its growth resulted from a British decision to use it as a port for exporting agricultural produce from interior provinces. At the dawn of Pakistan’s independence in 1947, Karachi was Sindh’s largest city with a population of over 400,000. The city became the focus for the resettlement of Muslim muhajirs migrating from India, along with experiencing rapid economic growth, leading to a dramatic expansion of the city’s population. This migration lasted until the 1960s and ultimately transformed the city’s demographics and economy. Following the Indo-Pakistani War of 1971 and independence of Bangladesh, thousands of Urdu-speaking biharis arrived in the city, preferring to remain Pakistani rather than live in the newly-independent country.
Large numbers of Bengalis also migrated from Bangladesh to Karachi during periods of economic growth in the 1980s and 1990s. This very decade also saw an influx of thousands of Afghan refugees from the Soviet war in Afghanistan into Karachi; who were in turn followed in smaller numbers by refugees escaping from post-revolution Iran. The Afghan refugees brought with them ‘the culture of drugs and gun running that changed the face of Karachi from a peaceful city, friendly to all segments of the society whether rich or poor, to one where violent crime became the norm.’
Inadequate urban development
Despite a rapid and continuous rise in the population, making it one of the world’s fastest growing cities, urban economists deplore the level of investment for development of civic facilities in Karachi, which is also the country’s major commercial and industrial hub and port. The city suffers from congested roads, poor and expensive transport system, virtual absence of low cost housing and expanding slums and shortage of water supply. Overlapping responsibilities, conflicts of interest and poor coordination across the various development agencies and authorities have jeopardised the implementation of development projects, and placed the city in the hands of an extremely powerful informal network that controls access to water, land, housing and transport. Arif Hasan, an eminent city planner and a member of the Asian Coalition for Housing Rights, notes in his research that the ‘population living in Karachi’s sprawling unregulated neighbourhoods known as katchi abadis doubles every decade… By 2025, more than seven million Karachi residents will be living in a state of abject poverty.’
Poverty, lack of resources, politics contributing to crime
It is an accepted trend around the world that extreme poverty contributes to popular dissatisfaction with the status quo and helps create conditions where the under privileged are more susceptible to religious or ethnic militancy and the lure of criminal organisations. The criminal justice system on its own may prove to be inadequate to curb crime. In a detailed study on the multiple dimensions faced by Karachi and its helplessness to cope with them, a former Inspector General of the Sindh Police laments that ‘we are dealing with crime (in Karachi) in a primitive way. The population-to-police ratio is inadequate. We have no surveillance capability. CCTV coverage is minimal. Resources allocated for training are modest.’ Repeatedly in the past and sometimes mired with controversy, the military has been asked to take over security issues of the city, contributing to momentous improvements in the situation.
It is not, however, just the high rate of crime that marks Karachi out, ‘but the entanglement of crime with the very highest echelons of politics.’ ‘Criminal gangs, often with political party affiliations, operate with impunity in most parts of the city, and some areas are effectively cut off from the police.’ Even with large-scale security operations carried out by security forces, the violent crime rate in the city remains high.
The country’s financial hub
Karachi was stripped of its capital status in the 1960s, while ‘Zulfiqar Ali Bhutto’s nationalisation policy and his imposition of the quota system put the Karachites at a serious disadvantage for government jobs compared to the rest of the population of Sindh in the 1970s. Yet the industrious and enterprising entrepreneur class and hardworking literate population weathered the storm, adjusted to the new reality and continued to expand and maintain its status as the country’s financial hub.’ The city collects over a third of Pakistan’s tax revenue and generates approximately 20pc of Pakistan’s GDP. Approximately 30pc of Pakistani industrial output is from Karachi, while Karachi’s ports handle approximately 95pc of Pakistan’s foreign trade. Approximately 90pc of the multinational corporations operating in Pakistan are headquartered in Karachi.In recent years, however, citywide outbreaks of violence routinely closed markets and industries, leading to daily trade and industry losses.
Diversity, resilience and braving all odds
Even with this complex web of issues, to a visitor who is unfamiliar with the ‘unsavoury’ reputation of the city, Karachi will appear thriving with life and as busy and robust as any other metropolis city of the world. The city is bordered by the warm waters of the Arabian Sea lapping sandy beaches, its most distinct feature. Diving out of the waters, the posh areas of its lands boast impressive skyline with malls, five star hotels, restaurants, golf courses – offering major entertainment outlets as expected from a modern settlement. The infrastructure of an advanced telecommunication system is very much in place, with a submarine data cable providing cheap and efficient cell phone services not only to the city but to the entire country. The abrupt interruptions of rampant strikes and unwanted security lapses do not break any communication, neither do they disturb cultural and literary activities – fashion shows, art displays, theatrical performances, book festivals and most of the other activities associated with a lively modern metropolis are actively pursued here.
It is perhaps the linguistic, ethnic and religious diversity of Karachi that not only makes it the most secular and moderate city of Pakistan, but the combination of even and odd mindsets and cultures probably is also responsible for a resilient and ‘never die’ attitude of the Karachites. It is not uncommon or surprising to hear from the residents that ‘life goes on’ despite the unfortunate and frequent occurrences of street crimes, homicides, terrorist activities and an overall insecure environment. The streetlights of Karachi, already limited in number, often go out in night, plunging the still famed ‘City of Lights’ into darkness, prompting a game of hide and seek between petty criminals and street dwellers. But moving back and forth between glory and obscurity, lights and shadows, Karachi continues to open its heart to all who wish to make it their homeland and fulfills the needs of even those who do not belong to her.
Yet the worry remains. The persistent and silent plague of disregard, lack of pursuance, lethargy, in effective policies and non existent commitment which has been contaminating Karachi since decades, continues to spread. The birthplace of Jinnah which basked in limelight at the birth of the nation, is now overshadowed by the progress of others and regress of itself. Karachi, which still has much to offer and be recognised for, is making a mark on the world for the wrong reasons. The resilience of its inhabitants is not enough – the plans for development and progress which are either just talked about or carry dust somewhere in cupboards overloaded with other obsolete works, should be seriously acted on. Karachi should no more be a safe haven for terrorists, it should continue to be the cradle for artists, poets, philosophers, advocates, entrepreneurs, who nevertheless, stubbornly insist on taking refuge here. For them, Karachi is still the City of Lights. It should be for all, once more.
