The troubled Karachi situation is causing much anxiety and depression among politically informed people all over the country because of the implications the growing chaos has for the socio-economic future of the country. It can be argued that parts of Karachi have experienced mini-insurgency from time to time, especially when the MQM has been out of power. However, the present crisis in Karachi has proved to be more persistent and violent than any before.
A strong new factor has been added by the press conference of Zulfiqar Mirza on August 28, accusing the MQM of involvement in violence and terrorism in Karachi. He produced some documentary evidence of the people involved in killings and how the MQM managed to get its loyalists released from custody. He not only accused Altaf Hussain of engaging in anti-Pakistan activities but also made strong charges against his party man and the federal interior minister, Rehman Malik.
Much depends on how the MQM responds to the charges by Zulfiqar Mirza i.e. on whether it deals with them on a political basis by contesting the statements and taking up the matter with President Asif Ali Zardari or decides to respond by showing its street power. In the latter case, violence will resurge in Karachi. Similarly, the PPP will have to make an extra effort if it wants to continue with reconciliation with the MQM. It will also have to address its internal turmoil caused by Zulfiqar Mirza’s charges against Rehman Malik. There are people who are happy over what they describe as the frank and bold statement by Zulfiqar Mirza; they are expected to support him.
As Zulfiqar Mirza has produced some documents to support his hard-hitting statements, the federal government should appoint a high powered inquiry committee to look into the charges. However, given the ethnic and political polarisation in Karachi and Sindh, the major groups are reacting to the situation keeping in view their partisan interests.
The sharp political and ethnic divide in Karachi threatens the political process and makes it difficult to examine the issues in a dispassionate manner. Each ethnic group and political party thinks and acts only with reference to its ethnic identity and political affiliation; the latter is greatly influenced by the former. Each group/party views itself as the victim of injustice and violence and regards others as the source of trouble and exploiter. Consequently, each political and ethnic identity has created a partisan narrative of what is happening in Karachi. Divergent and competing narratives have led each group to talk in terms of “us” and “them,” rather than treating all the resident of Karachi as members of one political community. Such a psychological divide has far-reaching negative implication for the future politics of Karachi.
The slow unravelling of the political process, if not checked quickly, will threaten democracy in Pakistan. Any replacement of democracy with non-democratic political order does not guarantee the solution of the current problems. Rather, it will accelerate the current negative trends and make political recovery more problematic. The political parties and societal groups, especially the federal and Sindh governments, should dispassionately review the situation and address the problems by setting aside immediate political considerations. The fault lies with the political leaders and parties and eminent societal personalities who are unable or unwilling to demonstrate a joint determination to fight the trouble makers.
Karachi has reached the present troubled situation because of the sharp ethnic divide and the habit of ignoring problems in their early stages. It may no longer be possible after Zulfiqar Mirza’s statement to continue ignoring the political problems or law and order challenges. However, given the current political polarisation, it is difficult to suggest if different political parties and ethnic groups will rise above their partisan interests. Rather, the MQM would like a stern action against Zulfiqar Mirza as he has framed serious charges not only against the MQM but also against its top leader, Altaf Hussain. The MQM is over-sensitive on issues relating to its top leader. A section of the PPP that support Rehman Malik will also adopt a strident approach towards Zulfiqar Mirza.
Traditionally, the Sindh government has found it difficult to balance the divergent political pressures from the Karachi-based political parties, especially the MQM. The federal government and the PPP top leadership also apply pressure to pursue their agenda of reconciliation which provides space to Karachi-based political parties to protect their activists from the reach of law enforcing authorities. This causes indecisiveness and poor responses to difficult situations.
Each political party is exploiting the situation to its best advantage. The ANP has suspended the active participation of its ministers in the Sindh government because it thinks that the PPP government has given unnecessary concessions to the MQM on local government system.
The MQM is better placed to extract maximum benefits. It has most of National Assembly and the Sindh Assembly seats in Karachi and Hyderabad. It uses it parliamentary clout to pressure the federal and Sindh government to accept its demands relating to its partisan interests in urban Sindh, especially in Karachi. If this method does not work, the MQM shows its street power by bringing its people on the streets.
Whereas the federal and Sindh governments need to muster enough political courage to set aside immediate political considerations and tackle the law and order situation in a head-on manner, the Karachi-based political parties should rise above purely partisan considerations. Unless they cross the ethnic and political divide and adopt a joint approach to control violence, the situation cannot be controlled by the government alone.
The PML(N) has also decided to stridently pursue its partisan agenda against the federal government by exploiting the Karachi situation. The Punjab Chief Minister, Shahbaz Sharif, known for emotionally charged statements against the federal government and President Asif Ali Zardari, visited Karachi and accused the MQM, the PPP and the ANP for causing problems in Karachi. The Sindh Chief Minister and the Governor (the PPP and the MQM respectively) did not show any interest in Shahbaz Sharif’s visit. The political crisis caused by Zulfiqar Mirza enables the PML(N) to build pressure on the PPP and the MQM.
The immediate challenge of salvaging law and order by using the Police and the Rangers in a non-discriminatory and non-partisan manner is likely to be neglected because of the political fallout of Zulfiqar Mirza’s statement. The political parties are not known for dealing with explosive political satiations by negotiations in a peaceful and orderly manner. Karachi’s troubles are likely to accentuate.
The writer is an independent political and defence analyst.
Karachi may be burning and it is as Professor Askari Rizvi mentions, but someone else is busy with his flute in Aiwan-e-Saddar. This is the dilemma of Pakistan and has been since its early days. Both Mirza and MQM need to be disciplined.
President Zardari has been playing politics, as if it is a game of chess, where winning matters, even if thousands have to die and the country's security and vital national interests are compromised. The anarchy that we witness in Karachi is because of the hyporacrisy in politics that has been practices. There are prohibited weapons which were smuggled through KPT in fake ISAF documented containers that went missing and are now in Karachi. Was the state intelligence not aware of this, or was the president not informed. These are serious questions that must be answered. Dissent and opposition are part of democratic politics, but murder and violence alongwith conspiring against the state are not.
PPP-Zardari is only concerned with his extra consttutional,political,partisan,despotic virtual king ‘kursi’blessed by SCP,MQM,ANP,ML-C,ML-N,Imran Khan,MMA abetted by TV channels and anchors of ARY,EXpress,Dunya,AAJ,GEO,CNBC,Newsone,SAMAA[DR Danish,Badami,Luqman,ASMA shirazee,Jaffery,Shahzad Iqbal,Mujhid Brelvi,Shahid etcetc who let truth only hide.No matter country and economy is lost,Zardari-Altaf would not let any high powered investigation take place of Z.Mirza reveletions , on oath.Zardari would never let it happen .WHY does not convixct Zardari for acting partisan ,political against his constitution and Altaf a criminal absconder controlling politics from London on day to day basis.Even no opposition as above objects to it.Every one back home in my countryis selfish excepting one honest,true Pakistan who keeps speaking truth,warning nation of challenges,threats by selfish politicians,leaders by name,columnists,TV anchors,newscaster but who care the cause of Pakistan,poor than truthful person than him,above his self.Zardari-Altaf evil axis must be destroyed immediately to save Pakistan as exposed by Zulfikar Mirza
No politics but killing matter is runing
Zardari Saheb has departed on yet another foreign visit, while his style of politics and the hypocrisy of this so called reconciliation has plunged Pakistan into its worst political, economic and security crisis. Allegations levelled by Zulfiqar Mirza against the MQM are very serious and so is the conspicuous and despicable role of this government and civil and armed bureaucracy, who knowing all this have chosen to ignore all these security concerns. No government, or any institution is more important than the lives and security of the people of Pakistan. What is happening during past few years of Musharraf and Zardari rule pose a threat to Pakistan.
The mistake which is made that democracy and politics are and the same. Politics is a completely different activity. A politician can be in a military or civilian set up. Politics is more complex than merely having objectives. Politics is always self-serving (which is erroneously called corruption).
Every politician seeks to advance his personal cause even if has to support thins which he would never like. Once anyone takes control of any country – he cannot rule it, administer it without having friends and allies in the right places. It is not the support of the people it is the support of the allies which ensures continuity of rule. If politicians operate on narrow perception of ethnicity or religion in a city like Karachi – they are lost. Because Karachi does not care about ethnicity and religion any more as intensely as it may have once. Karachi of 2011 is not the same a the Karachi of 1970s and 1980s. Money is the most important factor in this. Everyone irrespective – of religion, ethnicity or region wants to do business peacefully.
The style of politics which different political parties have adopted is outmoded and out-dated and it has expired. People want jobs and businessmen want to do business unhindered. Prejudice of any kind is bad for business so prejudice has gone. At the Pakistanis living in Karachi have matured to a point that they no longer respect the old fashioned politics of divide and rule. Divide and rule does not work when people know that, that is the game. Politicians be the civilian rulers or military ones will have to have more radical thinking.
A person living in the countryside cannot rethink or transform his way doing things as rapidly as the city dwellers do. Karachi never remains the same it keeps on changing – that does not happen in the countryside life goes on at an extremely slow pace. All the cities of Pakistan will have to become like Karachi for real change in Karachi. It is from cities countries ruled. Needs such as housing, health cover, transport, water supply, electricity , education, getting jobs and the ease of doing business emerge. These are urban problems can never be understood in a rural environment.
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