The writing on the wall

PPP, MQM and ANP forget their principles when it comes to power in the industrial capital of the country.

There are many proximate reasons for the recent outbreak of violence in Karachi but the constant cycle of hostilities ultimately comes down to ownership of the city. Three parties, all of whom preach inclusion and non-sectarianism and claim not to discriminate on ethnic grounds, forget their principles when it comes to power in the industrial capital of the country. The MQM added ‘Muttahida’ to its name to demonstrate that it was no longer a party for the Muhajir community. Yet graffiti splashed across the city, most likely prompted by the MQM, is demanding a separate province for Muhajirs. The other power brokers in Sindh — the PPP and ANP — are also unable to overcome their ethnic biases. In Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa, the ANP is happy to talk about how it is essential to defeat the Taliban, but the party retreats to a position of victimhood whenever the militant threat is brought up by the MQM. The PPP is no better, willing to resort to violence in its stronghold of Lyari and jealously guarding its Sindhi-speaking vote bank.

Given this context, it is not surprising, and indeed even may be logical, for the MQM to start demanding a Muhajir province. But that does not mean it is right. Such a move smacks of politics rather than need. A Muhajir province would be MQM-dominated, guaranteeing the party greater representation in the National Assembly and Senate. Without Karachi as a lifeblood, the rest of Sindh would be left high and dry. Let us also not forget that Karachi and Hyderabad are not purely Muhajir cities. As teeming melting pots of different ethnicities, these urban areas should not be part of an ethno-centric province.

The demand for new provinces seems to be the favoured new tactic for political parties in Pakistan seeking electoral gains. The PML-N was responsible for violent agitation in Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa during the renaming controversy when it demanded a Hazara province. The PPP then started hinting that it would demand a Seraiki province be carved out of Punjab. Now the MQM is trying to divide Sindh. Our political parties need to stop seeking momentary parliamentary advantage at the cost of the country’s unity. Rather than division, we need reconciliation.

Published in The Express Tribune, July 13^th, 2011.