Adil Najam
Pictures on the television show Karachi burning. The city is at war. Morchas everywhere. Clashes, violence, firing, deaths.
The Chief Justice is holed up at the airport and the streets are ruled by mobs. Aaj TV is being fired at and Talat Hussain reports that the police and rangers are unable to get their to help because the roads are blocked (to stop the Chief Justice). Of course, these road blocks have not stopped the killers who are firing at the TV station. As of now 15 are reported dead. Over 100 seriously injured. Hospitals in Karachi have declared an emergency. The Prime Minister has called an emergency meeting of his own to respond to what the government is calling a ’security situation’ but which sounds, smells, looks and feels like the beginning of a war on the streets of Karachi. Flights in and out of the city are stalled. Train traffic is stopped. The city seems to have descended back to its darkest days of street violence.
Meanwhile, the petty blame game continues. But things are changing too fast for one to analyze them. But one thing is certain. Things have gone out of control. Totally out of control. Totally out of everyone’s control. It is a sad sad day for all of us.
I wish I had something more profound to say. All I can hink of right now is what someone wrote on our comments section recently: Khuda Khair Karray!
(Picture credits BBC and The News and pictorial story at Bilal Zuberi’s blog; great blog coverage at Karachi Metroblog).
[quote comment=”46990″]TV channels showed that the security agencies like police and rangers did nothing to stop the carnage in karachi. we are in an era where security agencies of the country have become a security risk for the people. remember bajaur, waziristan, baluchistan and the missing people from all over the country. so MQM was a fascist setup from the very start but now it is not only the MQM, it is the whole establishment that has developed terrorist proclivities.
SHAME ON YOU MUSHARRAF.[/quote]
The question is what is the solution? The Army has become part of the problem rather than the solution. But in my view the problem is Pakistan’s high population growth rate. Hordes of young un-employed go for the Army, Rangers, Police and if can’t find a place in any of these, or abhor their restrictive life, resort for mafias and gangs. These gangs and mafias are just like economic concerns. When their growth rates go down, they go for consolidations, and that is when the organizations like MQM come into being. Its a consolidated self of a large number of small scale gangs and mafias. But after growing into a political party it became a different entity. Now it even entices the likes of Meera and Salma Agha into its folds. The tricks that any large business concern would do. In short its nothing more than the evolution of economics in Karachi, that took on the ethnic and linguistic color.
TV channels showed that the security agencies like police and rangers did nothing to stop the carnage in karachi. we are in an era where security agencies of the country have become a security risk for the people. remember bajaur, waziristan, baluchistan and the missing people from all over the country. so MQM was a fascist setup from the very start but now it is not only the MQM, it is the whole establishment that has developed terrorist proclivities.
SHAME ON YOU MUSHARRAF.
What is hard to understand, for a non-Karachiite like myself, is why this Mutahida Bhatta movement, euphemistically known as MQM, has continued to have so much support in Karachi despite all its record of badmashi?
Can any Karachiite explain?
متØÂÂدÛÂ? قومی موومÙà ¢â‚¬Â Ù¹ Ú©Û’ قائدیÃ℠¢Ã¢â‚¬Â کوبÛÂ?ت بÛÂ?ت مبارک ÛÂ?و، آخر کار انÛÂ?ÙˆÚº Ù†Û’ اپنی دم توڑتی ÛÂ?وئی سیاست کوکراچی Ø´ÛÂ?ر میں بےگناà ƒâ€ºÃ‚? لوگوں Ú©Û’ خونسے پھر نئی زندگی دی ÛÂ?Û’Ûâ€? اÙÂ?Ù†Ú©Û’ قائد Ù†Û’ جس طرؠڈراماØà ‚¦Ã›Å’ انداز میں ‌‌خطà ˜Â§Ã˜Â¨ کیا اور اپنے ØÂÂواریÙà ‹â€ Úº Ú©ÛŒ ØÂÂرکتوں پر پردÛÂ? ڈالا ÛÂ?Û’ØŒ ÙˆÛÂ? اÙÂ?Ù†ÛÂ?ÛŒ کا وطیرÛÂ? ÛÂ?Û’Ûâ€? جاگوکراچی والوں جاگو! ’آج‘ Ù¹ÛŒ ÙˆÛŒ Ù†Û’ سارے دنجولائیوکوریج Ú©ÛŒ ÛÂ?Û’ØŒ اÙÂ?س میں ایک طرÙÂ? ÙÂ?اروق ستار صاØÂÂب کا رونا دکھا رÛÂ?Û’ تھے اور دوسری طرÙÂ? سادÛÂ? لباس میں ملبوس ملسؠاÙÂ?رادÛ†? صاÙÂ? ظاÛÂ?ر ÛÂ?ورÛÂ?ا تھا Ú©ÛÂ? کیا ڈرامÛÂ? ÛÂ?ورÛÂ?ا ÛÂ?Û’Ûâ€?
Ù…ØÂÂمد عمران, کراچی
It saddens me to see this. May Allah grant the victims of this act of terrorism (by MQM and other parties) a place in Janaat. Ameen.
I know people are quite rightly blaming MQM but please do not overlook the powers who urged them to spring into action. Their should be no doubt that Musharraf, having failed to restrain the CJ by any other means , asked Altaf to ‘fix’ the situation by putting an end to these High court bar receptions and the allied political shows. He is openly saying that these rallies will no longer be tolerated. MQM were allowed to take TV stations off air last week, a totally unlawful step that would be totally unthinkable in any civilised society.
The casualties being reported are, 11 Pathans, 9 Punjabis and 9 Muhajirs. By playing the MQM card to fix the movement, Musharraf has now turned this into an ethnic issue. I hope Pakistan Army’s rank and file have noted this. A seving army chief should not be allowed to burn the ethnic fibre of the country in order to perpetuate his own rule.
Please read the an article on MQM from following blog
http://kashifhafeez.com/mazameen_large.php?path=20 07-05-10&img=kh_articles/large/2007-05-10.gif
I pray and hope that a JUST Government erases all the political parties especially which are led and fuelled by students all over karachi. MQM has infected karachi (the most vibrant city of Pakistan) like AIDS. May ALLAH unite all the Pakistani’s as one Nation not as people with different fake identities. All of these leaders especially Altaf Hussain, Pervaiz Musharaf may be held responsible for their inhuman actions against karachites.
Altaf Hussain, is still being funded by foolish people living all over pakistan and he is living in england…
I request the editorial Staff at ATP that they may form some kind of petition and forward it to all websites/blogs/newspapers so that people can sign to show that we don’t want Altaf Hussain and MQM in Pakistan.
May ALLAH give SABAR to the families of victims - AMEN
Mutahir