Karachi blast

There are many reasons why Rainbow Centre, Karachi’s largest CD and DVD market, would be attacked. A low-intensity blast caused by a grenade on April 7 caused one death and 20 injuries at the centre in Saddar Town. Although the culprits haven’t been identified, speculation will invariably revolve around two possible motives. For one, Rainbow Centre has long been notorious for selling pornographic movies, earning it the ire of extremists. From 2007 to 2010, Rainbow Centre had received many anonymous threats and one hoax bomb threat that were believed to emanate from religious extremists. If indeed the Taliban or its ideological allies are responsible for the attack, then this is yet another sign that no part of the country is safe from their wrath.

The timing of the attack, however, is curious. The blast came just days after traders observed a successful city-wide strike against the practice of bhatta, the protection money that business are forced to pay to be permitted to ply their trade. It would not be beyond the realm of the possible that this grenade attack was meant as a warning shot or even punishment for any traders who do not play ball. The bhatta mafia in Karachi is tied up with the political parties of the city so any solution to it cannot hold without the active participation of these parties. That traders at Rainbow Centre are observing a strike after the blast shows that they also feel this may be the cause of the blast.

The belief that Karachi is immune to the violence rocking the rest of the country is nothing more than a myth. In just the last few months, there have been deadly attacks at a government office and a shrine. Meanwhile, target killings aimed at rival political groups have been steadily increasing over the last year. In such a climate, commercial businesses like Rainbow Centre are like sitting ducks. Pessimistic though it may sound, this is unlikely to be the last such attack.

Published in The Express Tribune, April 9^th, 2011.