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).
As our city begins to get back to normal I think it is the responsibility of ordinary people to build the civil society in the city so that it is taken away from political parties and returned to citizens. Civil society is the only solution, though activities, business, arts, civic life. We become too political in everything.
haq parast here:
for all the aligations u all r posing on MQM, u should better know that MQM is most loved n respected party of karachi. not by violence!!!!! and its a reality u should all respect n except it!!!!! from all the progressive work going on in karachi, i should ask u people, who has done this for karachi, since 1947?????
that leader of ppp sheri rahman, today media have seen that how n who was firing from that stupid’s car??????? y chief justice won’t go back??????? AAJ tv personal said that they have been attacked, but as the time passed by, they said “we were cought in b/t cross firing” y they did’nt said the truth in the first place!!!! shame on AAJ tv!!!!!! every media person used the word “CROSS FIRING”, if MQM is at one place, who is on the other side?????? me n including millions of others r still in great PASSION n LOVE with MUTTAHIDA QUAMI MOVEMENT. people like u have placed the alligations before, n now looking at one side of story, u have established another story. does’nt matter!!!!! Muttahida is n INSHA’ALLAH will forever be a emmense power..!!!! may ALLAH help Muttahida n its beloved leadership… A’ameen
Let’s be honest here and stop falling for the Opposition’s cries, lead by the two most corrupt and incompetent leaders in our time.
Just look at how prepared the Opposition came, with bus loads of Pakhtoons. Watch this video carefully:
http://youtube.com/watch?v=KA4gMh_uO-0
Thanks Adnan for posting these links.
I have watched these links which shows flagrant violation of law. Who are they? Poor Talat was finding it difficult to pinpoint them for the reasons every one knows. But, I have no hesitation to say that they were MQM operatives.
I got chill in spine when I saw a blue government car with a siren lamp on its top. What does it indicate? This car undoubtedly was a government vehicle and was being used to ferry automatic weapons to these thugs.
The other thing which is noticeable and clearly shows collusion between the Sindh Government and so-called law enforcement agencies. One could see Rangers and police vans in the midst of gunmen.
How on earth MQM propagandist leaders could throw dust in the eyes of public and boldy tell the journalists that MQM had no hand in that.
These footages are beyond reach of Altaf Hussain and his propagandists and they can not be deleted and these very footages will be used as evidence one Altaf’s great supporter Musharraf shows his back.
You must have also seen how a young man in blue T-Shirt is being brutally beaten by police and others.
AAJ Under Attack-LIVE WITH TALAT
part 1
http://youtube.com/watch?v=METr2vAtObs
part 2
http://youtube.com/watch?v=NzSXOkiYUPQ
part 3
http://youtube.com/watch?v=BFeFu8tq7w0