Violence in Karachi

14 people had been killed in past 24 hours, there was no indication that violence would subside anytime soon.

Last year, over 1,000 people died in Karachi as a result of the ethnic and sectarian violence that has refused to leave the city in peace. That year was, in fact, the worst in terms of murders since 1995. And it was not too long before a new orgy of killings broke out — this time on the night of January 13. An ANP leader was shot at and injured, and a reporter of a local TV channel was killed in what appeared to be targeted killing. As of writing this editorial, 14 people had been killed in the past 24 hours and there was no indication that the violence would subside anytime soon. Perhaps the primary factor behind this is the virtual abdication of any semblance of authority over the city’s law and order by the government and the police.

The political dimensions to the killings mingle, one suspects, with the ethnic. This complicates the process of understanding the violence. Are the killings motivated by ethnic hatred, political differences or are they just plain criminal in nature, carried out by some mafia? Or perhaps there is a nexus where all three meet. The murder in cold blood of the reporter would suggest that it wasn’t an ordinary crime, since he was not robbed and was apparently killed by assassins.

Efforts made over the past months to bring parties together to discuss these issues have brought a temporary respite in the violence, but not an end. The tension that remains in place means any incident can immediately bring an upsurge in the killings, and this acts as a trigger, taking even more lives. Most of those who have died have been ordinary people, with no political connections at all. The six people killed when gunmen opened fire on a bus are examples of this. Their death means a terrible loss for families and an increase in the mistrust and hatred that runs through the city. There is obviously no magic mantra that can bring this about. What is needed is consistent commitment to doing everything possible to restore peace. Last year, the PPP had played a part in bringing all parties together to agree to cooperate to end the killings. This had brought a reduction in violence. We need more such measures.

Published in The Express Tribune, January 15^th, 2011.