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).
@LS: maybe today is the day of starting another War of Independence?
latest: CJ lands at Isbd. Tons of lawyers at airport..and not in a happy mood either….
Remember, today was the anniversary of the War of Independence in 1857.
sorry for spaming but jus heard that Chief has returned to Islamabad and airport has been sealed. lawywers ain’t being allowed to get into Airport. Tension at ISB Airport.
خدا Ú©ÛŒ قسم مجھے اپنے اردو اسپکنگ ھونے پر شرمندگی ÛÂ?Ùˆ رÛÂ?ÛŒ ÛÂ?Û’Ûâ€? ميں اپنے ÙÂ?ليٹ سے ایم کیو ایم Ú©ÛŒ ’آج‘ Ù¹ÛŒ ÙˆÛŒ پر ÙÂ?ائرنگ ديکھ کر صرÙÂ? شرمندگی سے رو رÛÂ?ا تھاÛâ€? اب ÛÂ?ماری قوم کا قائد تØÂريک ’آج‘ ٹيويکو ÙÂ?ونکر Ú©Û’ مگرمچھ Ú©Û’ آنسو بÛÂ?ائے گاÛâ€? مشرÙÂ? کا اقتدار اور ایم کیو ایم Ú©ÛŒ ÙÂ?سطائيت ايک ÛÂ?ÛŒ سکے Ú©Û’ دو رخ Ú¾ÙŠÚºÛâ€?اللÛÂ? ØÂاÙÂ?ظ پاکستان‘
سید طاÛÂ?ر رضا، کراچی پاکستاÙâ€
BBC Urdu
OH , the other funniest thing of live coverage of ISB rally. ARY showed live that Pervaiz Elahi was adressing while people were doing “Hullar Bazi” by playing Band bajays. When ary coresspondent asked one of govt worker that why people are not paying attention? he said “Ye Kush hain aur Muhabbat ka izhar karrahe hain” :-). Other channels reported that several buses who came from Gujrat and Jehlun turned towards Margala Hills rather coming to venue. That is, they came on govt’s expenditure and were cashing the moments rather wasting in Jalsa.
Wiki.Net: its always fun to hear Altaf. Can somone upload his speech? may be saad?
@Ibrahim:speakinf of Afaaq, MQM haqeeqi recently got splitted and Afaq and Amir khan are against each other now. Today MQM Haqeeqi led by Amir Khan[I think] also was with CJ and the clash near natha khan seems to be between 2 factions of MQM.
the most funniest thing was watching dictator standing behind bullet proof and saying “Mey darta nai, boht jangain lari hain” and called coward to CJ supporters[politcal parties].
The other funniest thing happened at Karchi Air port when someone people did Naray Bazi against IG Sind and police tried to rescude him. When journalists tried to approach him then he literally ran away. I am sure it would be the funniest thing to watch.
The other funny thing was listening Shaikh Rasheed. Shaikh Rasheed got jazbati enough and said ‘amerika iraq gaya,hum ne saath nai dia aur aj wo zaleel horaha hay’ and after few moments he siad ,’Mere moo se boht se baatain nikal jati hain jis se shokat aziz sahab naraz hotay hain’. The guys got afraid k kahin America unka band na baja day :-)
Maybe you guys know or not but one of ARY journalist asif Ch has also been deported from Karachi along with Cheif’s lawyers.
2 wrongs dont make a right i.e.
army/mullas/punjabism as much to blame as MQM!
[quote comment="46954"]Umar, please can we avoid going down the ethnic divide at this time. I don’t think most people are thinking along those lines right now. I don’t think the poor ambulance driver who was killed in Karachi today while perfoming his duty, is being described by his ethnicity. So, please…… bus, bahut ho gaya….[/quote]
avoiding the ethnic dimension to the conflict is equivalent to an ostrich shutting its eyes.
its clear mqm is flexing its muscles and federal govt cant do jack bcoz its a marriage of convenience. quid pro quo i.e. let the mqm do its badmashis and let the rest of pakistan be treated like slaves by punjab, so long as altaf bhai’s jurisdiction is not disturbed, all is good.
ofcourse i am all for pakistan but until n unless the issue of provincial autonomy is not solved, u ll carry on seeing such disasterous days.
give sindh its autonomy and watch how the muhajirs then desert MQM and freely take part in other parties. MQM = alliance against punjabism.