Islamabad finds that Karachi is too political to have peace
Community policing and vigilance committees are some of the ways that neighbourhoods can nip violence in the bud. But Karachi’s police have not been able to even get the ball rolling in this direction - officers simply can’t find unbiased residents who can take part.
Not a leaf stirs in some neighbourhoods without the local party activists allowing it, or in the very least, being aware of it. Thus, if any of these crime-busting ideas are to work, the entire neighbourhood needs to be on the same page. “But since every citizen in Karachi is politically affiliated with one party or the other, no one can be an impartial member of the vigilance committees,” explained a senior official at the ministry of interior while talking to The Express Tribune. It certainly doesn’t help that the political parties with influence in Karachi are at loggerheads these days.
“Each ethnic group wants a parental role in the vigilance committees to ensure their supremacy,” he said. “It has become a very challenging job ... as ethnic groups are not ready to compromise on their superiority.”
It is not as if the authorities don’t want these solutions attempted. Interior Minister Rehman Malik has told the police to form the vigilance committees. But this might not be entirely possible at this time.
In an attempt to follow these orders, the Inspector General of Police (IGP) ordered supervisory officers in the unsettled areas to start putting together the community policing and vigilance committees. They met with no luck.
The interior ministry official said that the IG was of the view that private citizens could administer law and order where they considered that governmental structures were inadequate. “Without the active participation of ethnic groups, peace in Karachi will not be possible,” he quoted the IG Sindh as saying.
For now the police have decided to consult the commissioners and deputy commissioners. They are considering giving the ethnic groups representation on the basis of their numbers in different localities.
The official gave one example. The Peoples Amn (peace) Committee was working in certain areas, but after the Muttahida Qaumi Movement expressed its reservations to the Pakistan Peoples Party top leadership, it lost its impartial role and become a controversial committee.
Published in The Express Tribune, July 14th, 2011.
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If only Police can be straightened, most of the crimes in the city will be vanished. 90% of the crime are done under police protection and it is an open secret. Ultimately, if Law and Justice could prevail, nobody can even think about creating potilical unrest. Never!!!!
The very basic problem of Karachi, the writer nailed it. Karachi is the city of territories i.e. pathanoun ka ilaqa, muhajroun ka ilaqa and sindhioun ka ilaqa, people can't live together here. People are too much political or I must say hijacked by political parties. We can easily observe FLAG culture and wall chocking everywhere in Karachi. We need to mitigate it and its a key to peace in Karachi.
Totally rubbish. Only 'No go areas are found in those territories which are infested with the tribal people. Just like FATA & PATA you can't go there.
This is absolutely ridiculous! First, the corrupt police officers need to be sorted, then the politicians driven to the sea! Approach the students at college and university, they are the ones that want peace, and you'll find more of them willing sacrifice time for this once-beautiful city! These neighborhoods are more like ghettos for selfish sadistic people who just want what is good for them than others!
Khuda hi Pakistan ka Hafiz hai!