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Karachi Burning: Clashes, Violence, Firing, Deaths

Posted on May 12, 2007
Filed Under >Adil Najam, Law & Justice, Politics, Society
260 Comments
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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).

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260 comments posted

Comment Pages: « 3328 27 26 25 24 [23] 22 21 20 19 181 »

  1. omar r. quraishi says:
    May 14th, 2007 5:25 am
  2. omar r. quraishi says:
    May 14th, 2007 5:23 am

    eidee and observer — what website have you been reading — today’s May 14’s has several stories on the violence — most of them not favourable to the MQM or the govt — open your eyes — or maybe you dont want to see

    Check out the following — all from May 14

    http://www.thenews.com.pk/daily_detail.asp?id=5583 5

    http://www.thenews.com.pk/top_story_detail.asp?Id= 7815

    http://www.thenews.com.pk/daily_detail.asp?id=5580 4

    http://www.thenews.com.pk/daily_detail.asp?id=5580 2

  3. omar r. quraishi says:
    May 14th, 2007 5:21 am

    eidee and observer stop your lies

  4. Adnan Siddiqi says:
    May 14th, 2007 4:03 am

    It’s amazing to how a “MAN IN BLACK” drove entire govt machinry crazy including Musharraf. I just read news that Justice Flak sher refused to take part in hearing. I don’t know why.

  5. Sophaeyyah says:
    May 14th, 2007 3:40 am

    ARMY RULES……………….OVER THE BLOOD OF ITS OWN PEOPLE. GETTING MORE THAN 70%of PAKISTAN’S BUDGET THEY ARE NOT YET SATISFIED. SO WHAT IF BLOOD IS FLOWING ON STREETS OF KARACHI MUSHI N HIS THUGS ARE IN POWER. WHAT MATTER’S MORE. 16 CRORE KI ABADI MAIN 36 KAM HONE KA KOI NUKSAN TAU NAHI HAINA.

  6. Sophaeyyah says:
    May 14th, 2007 2:50 am

    اعجاز م�ر
    بی بی سی اردو ڈاٹ کام، اسلام آباد

    سویلین ع�دوں پر �وجی ا�سروں کے بارے میں معلومات ایوان بالا سینیٹ میں وق�� سوالات کے دوران �را�م کی گئیں
    پاکستان حکومت نے جمع� کو پارلیمان کو بتایا �ے ک� صدر جنرل پرویز مشر� کے دور میں دو سو پچاسی ا�م سویلین ع�دوں پر حاضر سروس اور ریٹائرڈ �وجی ا�سران کو تعینات کیا گیا�
    ایوان بالا سینیٹ میں وق�� سوالات کے دوران محمد اعظم خان سواتی کے سوال کے جواب میں وزیر خارج� خورشید محمود قصوری نے بتایا �ے ک� سن� دو �زار سے تاحال اکتالیس نان کیریئر ڈپلومیٹس تعینات کیے گئے �یں جس میں اکتیس ریٹائرڈ �وجی ا�سر شامل �یں�

    قومی اسمبلی کے وق�� سوالات میں بیلم حسنین کے سوال پر اسٹیبلشمینٹ ڈویژن کے پیش کرد� تحریر جواب میں بتایا گیا �ے ک� مختل� وزارتوں اور ان سے منسلک کارپوریشنز یا نیم خود مختار اداروں میں دو سو چون ا�م سویلین ع�دوں پر �وجی ا�سران تعینات کیے گئے�

    حکومت نے اپنے تحریری جواب میں بتایا �ے ک� انتیس حاضر سروس �وجی ا�سروں کو اپنے کوٹ� کے مطابق سول سروسز میں ضم کیا گیا�

    اسٹیبلشمنٹ ڈویژن نے بتایا �ے ک� ایک سو سول� حاضر سروس �وجی ا�سران کو ڈیپوٹیشن یا سیکنڈ مینٹ پر مختل� وزارتوں کے ا�م ع�دوں پر تعینات کیا گیا�

    جبک� حکومت کے مطابق تینوں مسلح ا�واج کے مختل� ع�دوں سے ریٹائر �ونے والے ایک سو نو ا�سران کو مختل� وزارتوں میں کانٹریکٹ پر تعینات کیا گیا�

    حکومت کے مطابق مقابلے کا امتحان پاس کرنے کے بعد اعلیٰ سول سروسز کے گریڈ ستر� کے ع�دوں کے لیے دس �یصد کوٹ� حاضر سروس �وجی ا�سران کے لیے مختص �ے�

    ان ع�دوں پر تعیناتی کے لیے نامزد �وجی ا�سران کا �یڈرل پبلک سروس کمیشن ٹیسٹ لیتا �ے اور ان�یں سویلین ع�دوں پر مستقل تعینات کرتا �ے�

    حکومتی جواب میں ک�ا گیا �ے ک� ریٹائرڈ �وجی ا�سران کا نو وزارتوں میں دس �یصد کوٹ� �ے اور اس پر تعیناتی کے لیے ڈی�نس سروس آ�یسرز سلیکشن بورڈ س�ارش کرتا �ے�

    حکومتی جواب میں کانٹریکٹ پر تعینات ایک سو نو �وجی ا�سران اور ڈیپوٹیشن اور سیکنڈمنٹ پر تعینات ایک سو سول� �وجی ا�سران کے بارے میں ی� وضاحت ن�یں کی گئی ک� ان کا کوئی کوٹ� �ے یا ک� صوابدیدی اختیار کے تحت ان�یں مقرر کیا گیا �ے�

    ا�م سویلین ع�دوں پر تعیناتی کے بارے میں متعلق� اداروں کے کیریئر سول ا�سران کو سخت تح�ظات �یں لیکن و� اس بارے میں آن دی ریکارڈ کچھ ک�نے کے لیے تیار ن�یں�

    ایک ا�سر نے بتایا ک� حاضر سروس یا ریٹائر �وجی ا�سران کی تعیناتی سے ریگولر سروس کے ا�سران کی ترقی رک جاتی �ے اور کچھ ایسے سویلین ا�سر بھی �یں جو اگلے گریڈ میں ترقی واجب �ونے کے باوجود بھی ترقی کے بنا ریٹائر �وگئے اور ان�یں پینشن وغیر� میں نقصان اٹھانا پڑا�

    BBC URDU

  7. Eidee Man says:
    May 14th, 2007 12:24 am

    [quote comment="47057"]Frankly, I think some of the discussion about News etc. is silly… or you think you can just pressure and intimidate it by these silly comments.

    The web page really doesn’t matter and the breaking news there is not by importance it is in the order of which news is received when. Second, if you look at the real newspaper today and the main news items at the top of the page it is clear that the newspaper is doing good and bold reporting and clearly focussed on the killings and clearly blaming the sitting Sindh govt of MQM for it. The problem with you ‘keyboard pundits’ is that you cant even take the trouble of looking at the real newspaper and just need something to rant about. The danger is that you will even lose the respect of those journalists who are doing something real in this battle for democracy.[/quote]

    Yes, it is fair for you to criticize us, especially ones like myself who do not even use their real name when posting on websites.

    However, your claims that your “The News” organization and the Jang group is taking an unbiased approach would be UTTERLY LAUGHABLE if the crimes committed on that tragic day were not so heinous.

    As of right now, your website has only one story about this incident which reads “Altaf sees terrorism plot behind Karachi violence.” The MQM thugs brutally massacre scores of people and you’re getting the butcher-in-chief’s perspective??

    Go back to journalism school…you aren’t even half-baked yet.

  8. Tamashbeen says:
    May 13th, 2007 8:51 pm

    It seems like a very calculated move by Musharraf and the butcher Altaf. The move seems to be taken directly from Zia’s book of dirty tricks. Altaf has probably sensed weakening of its support in the masses after being in power for all this time and not delivering anything to the people. So Altaf goes back to the ways that made him and his bunch of terrorists successful in the early days. Having grown up in Karachi, I would not be surprised if he still pulls it off.

Comment Pages: « 3328 27 26 25 24 [23] 22 21 20 19 181 »


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