Adil Najam
Karachi used to be called “the city that never sleeps.” It may as well now be called “the city that forever bleeds.”
Karachi is bleeding again. More than a dozen dead. 80 injured. The Sindh Home Minister says “shoot to kill.” And everyone expects more blood to spill on the streets of Karachi. Fear rules the thoroughfares of Karachi.
Here are some snapshots of what has been happening:
The News: Confusion and chaos reigned supreme in many parts of the city due to widespread rumours of violence in the city on Saturday evening. Shops and markets in Saddar, Zainab Market, Zebunnisa Street and Burns Road were closed. Besides, petrol pumps on Sharea Faisal and Saddar areas were also shutdown. Vendors and pushcarts selling eatables were also not seen near major streets of the area. Police mobile vans were seen patrolling the affected areas and personnel taking positions to thwart any law and order situation.
Daily Times: The riots started from Banaras, early on Saturday, when a driver and conductor of a local route were thrashed by a mob in Mosa Colony. As a result the aggravated locals started firing and resorted to violence. The riots spread like bush fire, engulfing surrounding areas where groups of angry protesters pelted stones and fired at cars, setting fire to many vehicles. Two rickshaws and motorcycles were burned at Pak Colony, two buses and two motorcycles in Ittehad Town, two tankers at Nagan Chowrangi and one water tanker in Qasba Morr.
The News: Naseeb, aged 22, said that he was travelling in a rickshaw when he was intercepted by four armed men riding motorcycles near Abdullah College. When Naseeb told the armed men that he was going home to Qasba Colony, one of the armed men took out his pistol and fired at him. After injuring him, the armed men fled from the scene. Safdar Khan, a 30-year-old minibus driver, said that armed men intercepted his vehicle near Qasba Mor No-1 and ordered all the passengers to get down. Afterwards, when Safdar was still in the bus, the armed men opened fire at him and set the vehicle ablaze. Muneer, a 23-year-old labourer, was going home towards Peerabad when unidentified gunmen opened fire at him and fled. Two other persons Inam Dar, aged 25, and Rose Zameer, aged 26, also sustained bullet injuries in Peerabad area and were brought to the JPMC.
The Nation: At 8:30pm on Saturday night, traffic was barely reported on the City’s main arteries including MA Jinnah road, Karachi University Road, Shahrah-e-Pakistan, Sir Shah Suleman Road, Shershah Soori Road, Shah Faisal Road, and other important roads. The public transport including buses, minibuses, rickshaws and taxies were disappeared from all the main thoroughfares when the violence news spread in different parts of the City. The transporters took off their vehicles due to fear of burning, while private commuters were also avoiding to come on the streets due to the rumours and fear… People were sending mobile messages to their relatives and friends about the effected areas as well as inquiring about the situation of settled other areas.
The News: A rickshaw driver, Nasir Mehmood, told The News that, early in the morning, he was strictly advised not to visit places like Banaras or Sohrab Goth at any cost and told that, if he ventured there, he would be targeted due to his ethnicity by the residents of those areas. “At Korangi Road, another fellow rickshaw driver refused to go to Orangi although he was offered almost double the normal fare; he still felt insecure travelling there,†said Mehmood. A resident of Manzoor Colony, Inaam-ul-Haq, told The News that he was scheduled to visit the Cattle Market situated on the Super Highway on Saturday to buy a sacrificial animal. “Due to the circulation of terrifying news, I decided to defer my plans to go there,†he said.
Dawn: According to a private television channel, Pirabad police said two unknown gunmen opened fire in the Bukhari Colony area of Orangi Town at about 2:30 p.m., killing two men and fleeing swiftly. Later, three bodies were brought to Orangi Town’s Qatar Hospital while injured were being treated in different hospitals around the city. One person was also killed during firing in the De Silva town area. Airports nationwide were put on red alert and the airports’ special passes were cancelled for security purposes, television reports said. The incidents of violence struck various parts of the city, including Banaras, Orangi Town, Quaidabad, North Karachi and Nazimabad.
Everyone seems to know the script of the drama that is about to unfold, yet again, on the streets of Karachi. Except that the deaths will be real, not make-believe. Those who will be doing the killing have been arming up. Those who will be doing the instigation have already upped their rhetoric of hate, division and violence. Those who will be doing the dying, remain on knife’s edge, hoping that they will not be called upon to be sacrificed in the rituals of ethnic murder, so close to the Eid of sacrifice. The rest sit stunned in inaction as the politics of mayhem readies to raise its ugly head yet again. We see Pakistani kill Pakistani in the name of Pakistan. We sit afraid. Very afraid.
When will this murder stop? Why must violence be the only resort? How much blood can the streets of Karachi soak? When will we learn that violence is not teh solution to our problems. It is the problem!
This is not my first post on Karachi that I am compelled to end with the prayer: “Khuda Khair Karray!” Indeed, I have had to use that refrain too many times for violence all over the country. Once again, I can think of nothing else to say. Except, maybe, that the “Khair” will first have to come from our own hearts and from our own actions.
@ Mariam, I’m not sure whether my life was in danger or not but few young guys came in and they ordered everybody, they didn’t invited or requested , they said “Altaf Bahi Kee Salgira Hai sub Aah Jao”. Nobody dare to refuse.
I don’t think anybody in that room was willing to go. Why they went ??? Think about it.
I am also not the admirer of Zardari, Nawaz Sharif or Imran Khan. i am totally non political. Gen. Zia once said “Pakistani Siasat Koilon Kee Dalalee Hai”. I think he was right in his this statement only.
Yasir, you’re right in that people shouldn’t label entire communities or even groups. But I will differ with you on the point that it is a failure of the city government. I think as always this reflects the failure of the federal government and is a direct result of its irresponsible policies in the past. Karachi is by far the most diverse city in the country and all the battles of the country manifest themselves in some way or form there.
On another note I think it’s worth noting that most of the people who are making really strong statements against entire communities and groups such as the MQM are not ones who live in Karachi but those who have been in and out of the city and are mostly from other cities in the country.
Unless you live in Karachi you can’t understand the realities of the city since you’ve never experienced them. For those who have lived in the city and in areas where your life is directly affected by ethnic strife you’ll realize how completely meaningless and ambiguous the terms ‘terrorism’ and ‘terrorist’ are. They can apply to any group within the city and even the federal government. You have to understand the violence in a relative (not absolute) as well as reactionary sense.
And Alveena, I doubt that your life would be under threat if you decided not to celebrate Altaf Hussain’s birthday. Yes making statements against certain leaders can land you in trouble in Pakistan but this is no way unique to the MQM. It holds true for PPP leaders (past governments and current) as well as other political parties and past governments in Pakistan. If you look at the criterias by which critics of the MQM classify it as a ‘terrorist group’ you’ll realize that they hold just as true as most if not all of the major political parties in Pakistan.
As for those who glorify Imran Khan and are on the same page as him in his criticism of the MQM, it would be worth noting that a while back in a speech at LUMS he made significantly racist comments about MQM (which apply to Muhajirs as a whole in fact and is completely inappropriate coming from a political leader).
In response to Babar Ghauri’s allegations on Capital Talk about the issue of him having a daughter with Sita White (which was admittedly below the belt) he said something to the effect that if resemblance was a criteria for establishing whether someone was your child or not, Babur Ghauri would probably find many an offspring in various African villages (a reference to the fact that Muhajirs generally have a darker skin tone than Punjabis and Pushtoons). That’s absolutely disgusting and parha-likha jahil behaviour.
I really do not like the comments here on both sides. I know that emotions are running high and really we should do something but please let us not start labelling entire communities.
This is a failure of governance and I fully support the call to remove and seek resignation of city government which has clearly failed. But please do not label communities.
If MQM is not a terrorist organization then why it is keeping a terrorist wing(armed). Why Iltaf Hussain is scared of comming back.
Back in late 90’s I was in Karchi for few days (on a business trip), I was in Income Tax building and one day it was announced that today is Iltaf Hussain’s birthday and everybody should come and attend. Manager of a private company was there and was forced to cut the cake. Fellows in the income tax office asked me to come, I was a bit reluctant as it was nothing to do with me then i was told by other fellows to keep quiet and if i want to go home alive i should attend otherwise I’ll not be able to leave the building.
So what was this?
Quoting Mirwais Khattak:
‘It