Grand reunion

The merger of Altaf Hussain's MQM and the MQM Haqiqi could be a hugely significant positive development in Karachi.

The merger of the MQM Haqiqi led by Aamir Khan with the main body of the party led by Altaf Hussain could be a hugely significant development as far as the issue of peace in Karachi goes. The MQM split, which dates back some 19 years, had played a significant role in the escalation of violence seen in the city over the past two decades or so. We will need to see if these vanish into memory with the new accord, which came days after Aamir Khan was released from jail. His formal apology to Altaf Hussain at Nine Zero — immediately accepted by the man in London — appears initially to have left his own party leaders bewildered, but within hours they had decided to follow Aamir. Only the MQM Haqiqi Afaq now remains outside the fold.

In the complex matrix of Karachi’s politics, of which the MQM is a key part, it may be too early to say what will happen next. We have seen accords of all kinds fall apart before, both in Karachi and across the wider political sphere. It may also take time for trust to be built. Accords between leaders do not, after all, result in an instant cleansing of years of hatred and acrimony. Leaders on both sides will need to make a conscious effort to end the violence of years gone by that has left Karachi badly traumatised. Such efforts will need to continue for months, even years. As things stand now, a single incident could have grave repercussions. But if the peace accord does work, it would be the best news Karachi has heard for years.

An end to violence is what people seek most of all. If this does indeed happen, we would be seeing a huge change in the nature of Karachi and the dynamics that exist within it. Ethnic and sectarian tensions may, of course, not fade, but an end to the inter-factional tensions within the MQM could itself prove a very important factor in the life of Karachi and its people in the future. Hopefully, this reconciliation will be followed by that between all the main political stakeholders in the country’s business and commercial centre.

Published in The Express Tribune, May 27^th, 2011.