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 post=”701″]Why are the channels showing Altaf Hussain’s speech?[/quote]
jaan pyari hay!
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.
This all violence is drama by MQM.
[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.
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.