The Karachi Operation

It’s imperative to look beyond standard solutions

The Karachi operation has not yet turned out what it was supposed to be, though the strife and mayhem in Karachi is a long festering wound. Criminal gangs, extortion mafias, target killers and sectarian extremists have turned the city into a living hell for its citizens. The economic hub of the country cannot be allowed to be held hostage at gunpoint, or that’s how the government sounded when it started the ongoing operation in the mega city. But the operation does not seem to be going the way it was intended to.

Being conducted jointly by the Rangers and police, the Karachi operation was intended to be a targeted affair from the outset, but before it could start and when the government is debating as to who would have his say and to what extent in the execution of the operation, the criminals, at least the big shots, took advantage of the opportunity and fled – some moving inland to the interior Sindh while others making it good to Gulf states, as reported by the DG Rangers to the prime minister. The police and Rangers have rounded up a number of suspects, including some hardened criminals, but it is nowhere near the number of criminal gangs that were operating in the city some weeks ago. The current operation seems only to be targeted against the small time operators instead the big fish running mafias with well-established networks – and massive political backing. As a consequence of the simultaneous occurrence – arrests and fleeing – there has been a palpable drop in the crime rate in the city, though the lull by no means is total. A DSP was shot and killed the other day in broad daylight in the same manner as target killings have been conducted in the metropolis for long. Meanwhile, the MQM has also lowered the ante on the arrest of its former MPA. One reason for this could be the MQM’s preoccupation with the investigation against Altaf Hussain in London in Dr Imran Farooq’s murder case, and a suit against Declan Walsh and The New York Times for ‘baseless reporting that had caused damage to the repute’ of the party’s chief, Altaf Hussain. Whatever the outcome of these cases, the government should not in any way be swayed by political point-scoring or engage in retaliatory politics.

However, as the current operation is not achieving its objectives, the government should look beyond standard solutions; it is imperative to do some out-of-the-box thinking. It needs to take permanent measures like depoliticisation of police, empowerment of law enforcing agencies, legislation on banning militant wings of political parties and an end to the no-go areas in the megapolis. Unless these steps are taken the partial quiet the city is currently witnessing may not last long.