Karachi Burning: Clashes, Violence, Firing, Deaths

Posted on May 12, 2007
Filed Under >> Adil Najam, Politics, Society, Law and Justice
257 Comments
Total Views: 28607

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).

257 comments posted

Comment Pages: « 3311 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 [2] 1 »

  1. May 12th, 2007 8:37 am

    Dear friends,

    Peer to Peer Television allows one to bypass censorship by governmnet or goodhas. For example, TVUNetworks (http://www.tvunetworks.com) allows you to set up your own live TV “station”, using webcam or camcorder, and distribute it over the internet.

    The more people who tune in to the TV station, the better it gets.

    So you know what you need to do

  2. Adnan Siddiqi says:
    May 12th, 2007 8:37 am

    [quote post=”701″]Why are the channels showing Altaf Hussain’s speech?[/quote]

    jaan pyari hay!

  3. A Khan says:
    May 12th, 2007 8:37 am

    It is the MQM who is doing the firing because it is the only party the police can’t take action against, because they control the police. You have MQM gunmen turn away police APCs(Armored Personnel Carriers). If they were people from some other party the police would have shot them. The police no if they kill an MQM terrorist, they can say good bye to their career. Perhaps it is wise to bear in mind that the MQM has killed dozens of police officials who were involved in the operation clean up during Benazir’s term.

  4. Usman says:
    May 12th, 2007 8:33 am

    This all violence is drama by MQM.

  5. Neena says:
    May 12th, 2007 8:31 am

    [quote]On AAJ TV they showed people with MQM flag taking aims and firing.[/quote]

    I know MQM is the most powerful party in Karachi but gumnen carrying MQM flags; sounds too fishy. There is something more to it some other party who can benefit fromm all this. Could be JI (second strongest vote bank) or anyone else but surely not MQM. However, I’m not saying they are not responsible for other shooting.

    PS. Thanks to Zia, there are too many guns in Karachi.

  6. A Khan says:
    May 12th, 2007 8:17 am

    Please all news channels! have mercy on our souls. This psycopathic atheist now has started reciting verses from the Quran. I feel like blowing up my TV.

  7. A Khan says:
    May 12th, 2007 8:09 am

    Why are the channels showing Altaf Hussain’s speech? The person responsible for all this carnage and mayhem in Karachi. Well I guess perhaps they all have a gun pointed at their heads.

  8. simah says:
    May 12th, 2007 7:59 am

    again,why are all channels not standing together with AAJ.
    again,is this the face of enlightened moderation?
    again,when oh when will we realize that the understanding of Quran is applying it to MYSELF.
    HAVE I STOPPED LYING?
    .the rest will follow.
    time now for SERIOUS tauba and prayer.

Comment Pages: « 3311 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 [2] 1 »


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