Karachi in the coming days: Some fear violence till the polls, others say maturity will prevail

Outbursts along ethnic lines may bring back memories of the 1980s but this is 2011.

KARACHI:

Calls of ‘Jiye Mohajir’ - that  have not been heard as often from Muttahida Qaumi Movement (MQM) supporters since the party evolved from the Mohajir Qaumi Movement - resonated at anti-Zulfiqar Mirza protests on Thursday.

The rupture in the Pakistan Peoples Party and MQM relationship, the violence that drew in the Awami National Party, Peoples Amn Committee and the MQM, and the imposition of the commissioner system has resulted in a chaotic state of affairs.

But the violence is not about to end any time soon. MQM leader Dr Farooq Sattar told The Express Tribune earlier this week that he felt this was a return to the 1990s-era treatment of the MQM. Protesters brought all of those feelings - some mentioning the late former interior minister Naseerullah Babar - to the rallies as they railed against the PPP. Mirza has repeatedly stoked the MQM’s ire with his statements.

Political economist Akbar Zaidi said that while there were some glimpses of the 1990s, the current situation is far from a revival. “While the parties may have their militant wings, they have learnt a lot since then.” Zaidi highlighted that the bitter rivalry between political opponents has toned down and the democratic process has evolved since the late 1980s and 1990s.

He assessed that there would be brief spurts of violence, “but this will not continue for years. There is not going to be a slide back into ethnic lines.”

Senior PPP leader Taj Haider said he had “serious reservations” about Mirza’s statement. While Haider said Mirza had been ‘provoked’ into speaking by the media, the party’s ideology was to not speak on ethnic lines. “Elections are won or lost, but we should not lose sight of our ideology,” he said. “I am an Urdu-speaking person and Afaq Ahmed is not my leader. My leader is Benazir Bhutto.”

However, Haider said he did not see a resurgence of the 1990s. “Sanity has prevailed. We would much prefer that we work as civilised political parties and that there are no violent responses.”

For his part, however, Jamaat-e-Islami spokesperson Sarfaraz Ahmad predicts more violence. “The MQM has started its election campaign. It has shown its strength and has tried to recapture its original ethnic base. Until the elections are announced, the MQM will keep bringing up petty issues on ethnic lines until it builds on a larger scale. We foresee that the situation will worsen and not even 10 to 15 days will pass until something flares up.”

“The parties will have to find a way to work together,” said Zaidi. “Obviously the economy goes to hell at a time like this. It has been seen that whenever the MQM is in opposition there are these spurts of violence. There has to be a solution — whether it is involving the MQM in the coalition on at the federal or provincial government levels - to the standoff.”

According to veteran political activist Azhar Jamil, “Politicians need to take responsibility for their words. Mirza’s stance was irresponsible. The parties do not need to spread hatred on ethnic lines. This goes against the spirit of democracy. As a larger party, the PPP should take the lead in solving issues with consensus, such as the commissioner system. Just because they have a majority in the assembly does not mean that they can ram through changes.”

However, consensus and calm remain elusive for Karachi. As the city suffers millions of rupees in losses and the death toll increases, political parties will have to decide whether indeed their short-term interest of political point-scoring will achieve their long-term goal of attaining a larger voter base.

Published in The Express Tribune, July 15^th, 2011.