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If Karachi’s ethnic groups got along it could be a city like New York: Stephen P. Cohen
A Pakistan expert comments on a city’s weakest point.
A Pakistan expert comments on a city’s weakest point.
KARACHI:
Karachi is like 25% of all of Pakistan’s economy, and it just simply not functioning. This was the opinion of Stephen P. Cohen, a senior fellow on foreign policy at the Brookings Institution, expressed recently on a radio show.
Cohen was interviewed on the Bloomberg Surveillance show by host Tom Keene and co-host Ken Prewitt. “I am stunned at the demographics of Karachi when I study their population growth and their absolutely unique demographics,” said Keene according to a transcript dated May 26. “What does America need to know about the future of Karachi,” he asked Cohen.
“Karachi could have been – I sound like Marlon Brando in “On the Waterfront” – could have been a major economic and trade centre in the world, analogous to Singapore or Hong Kong,” said Cohen. It was one of those British cities that was on the Imperial trade routes and, of course, now that Asia has become more important, Karachi sits between the Gulf and the rest of Asia.
But, of course, it has gone steadily downhill from the creation of Pakistan, he went on to say. “Its demography is that it is divided between three or four different ethnolinguistic groups, which are mutually exclusive.”
“So it is a – if they got along well, it would be an amazingly complex city, a lot like New York,” he said. “But, of course, they don’t get along well and it is in the context of a failing Pakistan economy of which Karachi is a major part.”
The Bloomberg Surveillance co-host, Ken Prewitt, then asked whether it was ethnic strife that went wrong or if there were other factors. “Generally speaking, former British colonies have done certainly better than former French or other colonies,” Prewitt added.
According to Cohen, there were two great cities in British India that were in a sense euthanized by Partition. One was Karachi, when Pakistan was created. “Karachi lost a bunch of its Hindu land, the rest – parts of India to the east of Karachi,” he explained. “And the other, of course, Calcutta. Calcutta was one of the empire’s great cities and partitioned in the halving off of Pakistan from India and eastern India meant that Calcutta lost its Hindu land.”
According to Cohen, these two great cities lost their purpose – much of their purpose. But Karachi remained a valuable and important city until, of course, the military moved the capital from Karachi to Rawalpindi and then Islamabad, a “remote, isolated station” at the time.
Published in The Express Tribune, July 4th, 2011.
Reader Comments (13)
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I would say: “If Pakistan’s ethnic groups got along it could be one step ahead of the developed nations because of its colors, terrain, people, culture and beauty” Long Live PakistanRecommend
its extremely ironical that in every aspect of our Pakistani lives we have turned our strategic position into position of weakness. Take the example of Pakistan’s own geographical location, or our nuclear bomb or diversity of Karachi. These very Mohajirs, Pathans, Punjabis & even Sindhis to great extent deliver wonders when they get out of Pakistan. When they are in there and especially in Karachi, each of these races simply stop thinking and working together like a Pakistani nation. That’s unfortunate at minimumRecommend
Zia played his role in destroying Karachi by propping up MQM in 1983, in the hope it would neutralize PPP’s threat to his reign. Imagine Obama illegaly sending taxpayer money to Chicago’s mafia so they could “neutralize” the republican candidate running against him in the next election. He would spend the rest of his life in prison.. But alas, this is Pakistan. The army divides and rules – Karachi and the rest of the country can decay to eternity for all they care. Recommend
Centuries old wisdom “United we stand, Divided we fall”. But Pakistanis have a knack for defying wisdom and opting for stupidity. Unfortunately God has blessed Pakistan with everything except for leaders with wisdom and character who will unite and not divide, based on ethinity, religion, faith, sects and anything and everthing. Recommend
His analysis is not wrong when you check the demographics….the last time I checked Karachi;s population, it was 20 million which is equal to the whole of Australia. This city can do wonders if it works. Recommend
we all are here commenting and talking from the businesses and development prospectus, but the current situation of Karachi is due to the political influences, until and unless leaders of Karachi’s leading parties tie together leaving behind all their scams. then see the Karachi.Recommend
The article misquotes me, I said that both Calcutta and Karachi lost their hinterlands, not “Hindu lands” which makes no sense.
spcRecommend
Interesting article on the state of Karachi from a respected scholar on Pakistan. I find it odd how certain parts of the city continue to function seemlessly despite violence in some of the more run down areas. Karachi is still one of the enchines that drives Pakistan along with Faisalabad, Lahore, Sialkot and Gujranwala. I couldn’t agree more with the assertion that Karachi has so much potential due to its unique geographic location. If only the various players and ethnic groups in the city could get along, it really could be the knot that ties the Middle East and Central Asia. I was surprised to learn that Karachi is in fact the city in the world with largest number of Pashtuns- more than any city in Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa or Southern Afghanistan. As such, the presence of Pashtuns in this Sindi city albeit with strong Indian Muhajir presence should be institutionalized. Karachi has done much to integrate the various ethnic groups in Pakistan but it could do so much more if ethnic enclaves could be more heterogenous. Like many mega cities throughout the world, Karachi has its fair share of problems but unlike other cities, there are a number of anti state groups on foreign payrolls as well as militant groups who are active. Mexico city or Rio may only have to deal with violent criminal gangs but we have this sinister presence in the mix. They need to be dealt with in a firm manner for the city to realise its potential.Recommend
Look it who is talking most anti think tank of pakistan.Recommend
1990 they said pakistan will not be on the map before 2000 but after 1998 of nuc test they
changed there prediction and propagonda and now proxy words using against pakistan most
anti pakistan think tank in amer brooking inst.Recommend
Woah! Did I just see the Stephen Cohen comment here!!??Recommend
@Nadeem:
Exactly, plus MQM has always taken help of half truths and historical distortions….such as their claims of being the VERY FIRST and SOLE party who spoke against the feudal system,as if everyone in Pakistan was a moron who never realized or criticized the controversial role of military and establishment in the national politics till 1980s….Plus,the way they mixed Pashtuns,Pashtun nationalism or ethno-nationalism,ANP and Talibans together despite ANP belonging to left wing (I am not calling ANP a party of angels either).
You talked about Obama and Chicago, buddy why look any further when we can see a similar example in our neighbouring nation India…..It’s widely believed that Shiv Sena was also a Frankenstein monster of Indian establishment to counter I guess Communist groups,and Bal Thackeray became a king of Mumbai for decades…before targetting Muslims and Pakistanis,Thackeray and his men targeted South Indians and Biharis…But see his demise now even though no military operation was ever carried out against SS….The reason-education and an uninterrupted democracy without any intereference from military over there….same could be exercised in Karachi and Pakistan too but for that we need to check our cards properly and never leave the spirit of tolerance.Recommend
Karachi will never become a successful city because no one will ever accept Pashtuns’ influence over there even though they deserve it due to their sheer numbers and their hard work through the decades to build it along with other ethnic groups; and for that reason, it will continue to burn. And I wish that it would continue to until they stop killing Pashtuns and spreading false propaganda about such an enterprising people. (yea I said that!)
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