Mayhem at Karachi

It seems that certain forces are adamant at plunging Karachi completing into anarchy. At an average nearly 15 people are being killed on daily basis over the last three months. Among the killed are political activist and members of religious parties but the largest number pertain to Shia and Sunni sects. Instead of rounding up the killers, those responsible out all the blame on ‘third hand’. Earlier the hype was created that Taliban were entering Karachi to get it free from the ‘hostage’ of MQM’. Till recently targeted killing was common but now funeral processions are also being attacked. Added to these are blockade of roads by the agitators, putting up public and private properties on fire. The most criminal is the silence of coalition partners and the propaganda that booty collectors have also entered Punjab.

There is growing consensus among the people belonging to different sects and political affiliations that ‘mercenaries’ have thronged Karachi with a clear mandate to plunge the city into complete anarchy. They know very well that Karachi is the lifeline of Pakistan and hub of industrial and commercial activities. Therefore, without cutting this lifeline the ultimate objective of fragmenting Pakistan can’t be achieved. It is on record that people belonging to all the cast and creed, political and religious sects are being killed, shops and commercial areas are closed and private and public and private properties are reduced to ash.

Ironically, the three coalition partners PPP, ANP and MQM are trying to buyout sympathies because their members are being assassinated but have been failing miserably in restoring peace despite being in power for years. This force the people to infer that some ‘supra power’ controls the tentacles and before it coalition partners are also helpless. There is also a growing realization that the mercenaries have also crept into law enforcing agencies. This impression develops because none of the perpetrators has been rounded up and given punishment. The most glaring examples are killing of Benazir Bhutto and her brother and famous political and religious leaders.

If one also adds to this burning of more than 300 workers of ill-fated garment factory, blasts at mosques and religious gathering and attack at Rangers Headquarters only one point is evident, the killers and perpetrators are far stronger than the law enforcing agencies. One of the conspiracy theories is that services of trained security personnel are being hired to create the mess. It is also feared that personnel of investing agencies are also being paid lavishly on not arresting the criminals, collect evidence against them and when they some of the criminals are presented before the courts; they are acquitted because of lack of sufficient evidence.

Some of the critics say that all and sundry know the gangs and their leaders involved in killing, blasting bombs and putting private and public properties at fire. The names and faces of booty collectors and their godfathers are known to all. However, the government puts the blame on ‘third hand’. It may be said that it is the only hand because all others have been cut or tied. Now people openly say that don’t look at the getup of people which is completely disguising, these are cold-blooded mercenaries and their sole objective is to destroy Pakistan. The perpetrators know very well that Karachi is the safest heaven because of concentration of linguistic and sectarian groups. They also say that the residents are being used as human shields.

Courtesy: The Financial Daily