The Karachi shuffle

Events in Karachi are moving at almost breakneck speed both politically and in terms of law-and-order, with the two being intertwined. On the political front, there is the re-emergence of Mustafa Kamal who has directly challenged the hegemony of the MQM in the city. The response of the MQM to the challenge has been measured in Karachi, almost dismissive, and there is a curious silence from the London end of the party machine. Quite how many will attend the rally announced by Mr Kamal is unknown but it will be a useful indicator as to what extent his yet-unnamed political party is viable. A number of present and past members of the MQM, including Raza Haroon who flew into the city on March 14, have already gravitated in the direction of Mr Kamal.

Whether this is a truly epiphanic moment for the MQM or just another blip is impossible to say, but the forces of law-and-order are taking a close interest in developments. The Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) has secured a pledge from Mr Kamal that he will assist with inquiries into money laundering and contacts with the Indian RAW intelligence agency by the MQM, allegations going back many years and never substantiated.

As these events unfold, there has been a change at the top of policing in Sindh on the back of an admission by IG Ghulam Haider Jamali to the Supreme Court that illegal appointments had been made to the Sindh police force. The government had no choice but to sack him. His replacement is Allah Dino Khawaja who has a formidable job in front of him. The Sindh police force is corrupt from top to bottom, part of the problem rather than part of the solution for Karachi. Deeply politicised, it is highly resistant to change but changes in the political environment may provide an opportunity to at least begin to chip away at the darkness within. Karachi needs to change if its potential is to ever be fulfilled and the city of blights is to once again become the city of lights. To say that we watch with interest understates reality by several orders of magnitude.

Published in The Express Tribune, March 15^th, 2016.

Like Opinion & Editorial on Facebook, follow @ETOpEd on Twitter to receive all updates on all our daily pieces.