Gang wars seem exciting in movies. Clearly, real life is quite different.
KARACHI: On June 13 at about 7 pm, my fiance and I were in the car driving to his place. He lives on the other side of town from where I live, which is Clifton. Just before entering the street where his house is, my fiance noticed that many shopkeepers were pulling down their shutters, closing shop for the day it seemed. And it was just seven in the evening. We learnt upon further inquiry that a shootout between members of two rival political parties had started and had turned the surrounding area into a veritable war zone.
Those involved in the shooting had made their way into some apartment buildings and managed to get on the rooftops, and were shooting at will. Some stood in the streets. My sister-in-law was with us and was quite shocked by what was happening. She told me that she had looked out of the window and seen children in a park close by lying face down on the ground and crying out of fear.
One poor rickshaw driver had been killed we heard, his body dumped on the street. His crime was that he belonged to an ethnic group that his killers did not see eye to eye with. It was surreal and strange thoughts ran through my head. I thought of how exciting gang wars seemed in movies, and how keenly I had watched The Godfather. Clearly, real life was quite different.
We did not venture out till we were told, after about two hours, that the shooting had somewhat subsided. As we drove out of that neighbourhood, I sat with my head between my knees, in the position often shown by flight crews as a plane takes off. We drove in pitch darkness but thankfully, reached home in one piece.
Mansha Pasha
Published in The Express Tribune, June 16th, 2011.
