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).
I completely agree with you Observer.
The enemies of Allah plan, but Allah is the best of planners.
The biggest coward this nation has produced is Altaf. He wiles away his time gambling, and getting drunk in London as his party loots and plunders this nation of ours. At the same time Musharraff keeps on saying, “Pakistan comes First.” I think he should start saying “India comes First.” Because we’re really on a suicidal path.
Its been eight years of Mush and all he does is make sure that the institutions of police and judiciary get even more corrupt as they are systematically gutted of what little independence they had. The result is total break down of law and order. So as they say, “No Justice, No Peace.”
Its good to see the former MQM supporters turning away from it in the wake of its violent politics. Once again it has turned violent, perhaps smelling its own downfall in the wake of the judicial crisis. Apparently its popularity would go further down and a few more of its leaders would have to go into exile.
This is another sad day in our history. But just as the CJ fiasco unmasked Mush and his cohorts, today has unmasked the MQM. I say, let there be a “faisla-kun” jang once and for all, and figure out key Pakistan kiss ka hai! We cannot continue like this. And if there are elections this year, I beg all to get out of their comfort zones and go vote.
Aah!
A governement need not to organize rallies to show power..what the intentions to show your power when clash is most likely..responsibility lies squarely with MQM..everybody knew that but they chose to make Karachi Hell by organizing on the same day..but who cares London is safe where our sacred leader reside.
I agree with Adnan, many of MQM supporters including myself are no longer with it due to its violent strategy
The problem with present day Pakistan is that most of its leaders are in their 50’s (Nawaz Sharif, Benazir Bhutto, Altaf Hussain, Sheikh Rashid, Shaukat Aziz etc.) and 60’s (Musharraf, Shujaat Hussain, Pervaiz Elahi, Khursheed Kasuri etc.). The national scene would totally change once these leaders start leaving the political scene, but that might take another 20 years. Till then just keep your fingers crossed.