ISLAMABAD:
The Muttahida Qaumi Movement (MQM) warned against the city’s targeted killing spree growing even bigger to become a ‘massacre or ethnic cleansing’ in Tuesday’s National Assembly session.
An impassioned call was made by the MQM seeking immediate government action to what some of its members described as violence engineered by elements within the provincial administration of Sindh. Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) responded by advising the party to accept the existence of the rival Haqqiqi group.
“We can never get to the bottom of the problem in Karachi as long as we continue to deny their [Haqqiqi] existence,” said MNA Abdul Qadir Patel.
Patel advised the MQM to open negotiations with the Haqqiqi group, whose leadership had hitherto been under detention but was recently released by courts and greeted by a senior Sindh minister at a political gathering.
The PPP MP from Karachi also called for giving Sunni Tehreek (ST), another group in friction with the MQM in the past, a chance.
(Read: The killing fields of Karachi)
Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N)’s Khawaja Saad Rafiq urged the government to send a parliamentary fact-finding mission to Karachi and implement its report.
A senior MQM leader warned against ‘naivety’ to deal with what he called the bashing of a particular ethnic community in Karachi.
“This attitude will harm us and you as well,” said MNA Haider Abbas Rizvi, referring to the government’s handling of violence in the city.
Earlier, the MQM staged a walkout from the house and its emotional members started running out of control, shouting anti-government slogans when Speaker Dr Fehmida Mirza tried to discontinue a debate on the unrest in Karachi.
But the walkout and a strong protest forced the government to change plans of bringing to the house issues other than the overnight debate.
Rizvi said that in parts of the city people were being attacked due to their ethnic affiliations and were even being forced to vacate their home in some areas. “It’s like internal displacement,” he said.
(Read: In Karachi, hold on to the gains)
He further warned the government against pushing MQM to the wall and added that a sense of isolation was growing within the party that can be translated into a sense of deprivation or alienation of the group.
Rizvi warned that instability in Karachi would have a direct effect on peace and harmony in the entire country.
“Karachi is the centre of gravity … if you want to save Pakistan, save this city,” he added.
A cleric and member of the assembly from Balochistan said whatever was happening to Pakistan today was the wrath of God.
People don’t obey rulers because they don’t obey God, said Maulvi Asmatullah.
Published in The Express Tribune, August 3rd, 2011.
COMMENTS (65)
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karachi violance will only end when PPP and MQM come to understanding with each other. PPP wants them to join the PPP govt on its term. Their differences are costing lives of innocent Karachites. Political leaders of bothe parties, please sort out your differences have mercy on innocent poeple of Karachi and on Pakistan. We have seen peace prevailing immediately once these power hungery politicians comes to terms. Karachi violance has become a political issue. politicians must stop using this card for their political gains. Criminals are taking advantage of their unforgiveable policies.of killing each other.
According to the definition of Mohajir, a person who migrate for Islam. So, the people who migrated, they were mohajir not there children. If there children call themselves mohajir, then they should call me HAJI sahib, coz my ancestor did HAJJ.
The violence in karachi is nothing more than a turf war between three political parties and a breakaway faction of another. the ppp,anp and mqm(h) are out to get a share of the pie. the issue is not whether they deserve a share of the pie because they do. it is the means that they have adopted to assert themselves in the political landscape of karachi, which are largely forceful. the reason they have adopted force is because the mqm(a) has a stranglehold on karachi through force. you need force to counter force.
@MAHFOOZ UR RAHMAN:
Ironic, you start from 1970's yet the only time you saw Karachi burning was in 2007, what about the 1990's?
@asad soomro: Mr. you got some distorted facts brother !!
@naeem khan: I for one dont call myself a mohajir but its the people around us who make us feel like we dont belong here.... and by the way, as Pakistanis what is the issue in asking for a separate province..people who even have a separate province can fight for getting the name of the province changed but its unthinkable for Urdu speaking to talk about a separate province??? Why these double standards??!!!
@TJ: Mr. get your facts straight...just go into the news archives of the 80s and you will come across the bushra zaidi case...if the police and courts could had provided justice back then the situation now in the city would not have been what it has become now...Don't just bash out on anyone just like that, get your facts straight and stop living in the fools paradise !!!
The hungry, destitute, illiterate, dis-organised phantoms bark back at us, now that they have started to wear three-piece suits. They have forgotten their place in history. ET is a place for freedom of expression- people abuse MQM, we have no problems. They deny and hate everything related to MQM, again we remain silent because it is their right to do so. But when barking dogs who seldom bite bark again, it is our duty then to respond to them. We don't care about MQM, but what we do care is about an Urdu-Speaking nation. Had we not been here in Karachi, Karachi would have been Kulachee only. A place with nothing except fishermen. Let this be reminded to all the other people- you just cannot suppress 20-30 million educated people who call themselves Muhajir. Learn to live with them or their is no co-existence. The only solution to all this is the creation of a new province. It is a hard and bitter pill to swallow, but the fact is that none of us is or was a Pakistani. There is no Pakistaniat. There is no patriotism. Its only about being from one ethnic race or the other.We have to accept this now.
We are one nation speaking 350 languages, belonging to one Pak Sarzameen. Stop portraying this violence from an ethnic point of view. The situation is much more complex on the ground, and merits serious assessment from experts.
here is an article which I am sure many of you would have read already ut here it is anyway:
http://www.jang.com.pk/jang/jul2011-daily/12-07-2011/col3.htm
There is only one group which is benefiting from the current carnage and it doesnt take a genius to realise who that is.
Karachi should be made a separate province - that is the only solution
@TJ
Muslims don't get killed in India every now and then, just for being Muslims. You are either highly misinformed or you are lying to prove the two nation theory.
In fact, most of the violence against Muslims are instigated by Muslims themselves. Did you know that the violence in Gujarath was started by Muslims, when they burned down a train with 60 Kar Sevaks? I have said this before and I'm saying it again. If Hindus in Pakistan dare kill 60 Muslims on a pilgrimage, the result will be a total extermination of Hindus.
Please don't write lies. And these incidences are not as frequent as you write. How do you define "now and then". Once a week? once a month? Twice a month?
@kaiz: it was really sad to see that you painted a bus accident with ethnic color and made it look nothing less than a holocaust. Pakistan was created for Muslims of India and even if today we have drifted apart from each other it doesn't mean that idea of Pakistan was wrong. What about the Muslims killed in India every now and then just because they follow Islam. A shame-less being, as you are, only would have the guts to publish this kind of comments.
the main problem of karachi is the ppl who come from different parts of country for jobs and prosperity never own this city. I don't want to blame any political party but its a gospel truth that ppl. just come and earn they never think this city belong to them also. just pay a visit to those areas like orangi, sohrahgoth etc where you will find only few residents living lawfully whereas most of them are living by unlawfully possessing the land. there is a vast gap of classes i mean most of karachites who live here are educated/literate whereas most of the outsiders are illiterate and they don't have any civic sense at all. Thirdly law enforcing agencies are also playing their role in deteriorating the situation of karachi as they seems to be least interested in bringing back peace to this illfated city. Last but not least, if we go back to musharaf era one thing which we all acknowledge is that Karachi was peaceful at that time and contributing alot in terms of revenue generation which helped our country to leave IMF program.It doesnt matter if I die by pathan's bullet or MQM's...... the point both have illegal weapons and should be deweaponised. Please set Karachi free of voilence. We are all Pakistani so this demand for a seperate province is baseless.
@Beenish Khan: Every one is answering Beenish Khan, me too. In fact Ali Garh Karachi incident was the reaction of Sohrab Goth Operation. People are still there who think they hold Karachi, they give revenue to central government and the land they occupied in Karachi belongs to their fore fathers. People made wrong decisions and made a handicapped Pakistan and came to Pakistan to live. There were intellectuals but fighter type people took over them and intellectuals all were killed or died in the course of time. Present people destroyed house of their opponents in Landhi etc with the help of Gen Musharraf, and now other Urdu speaking group is trying to destroy their houses with the help of ex-interior minister. No one is sincere and peace loving, those who ran away from Karachi to USA, Canada are better and can live their life in peace but in heat of Isolation. We are here and see the Makafat-e-Amal...enjoy life in "Your Toronto.
Today the most powerful nation on earth is Israel which is evident with is violation of UN resolutions , flexing of muscles in middle east, controlling global economy and interference and weightage in united stated congress. if you ppl have. any doubts , just check out benjamin nethanyahu speech in congress 2011. This all isreal accomplished in a span similar to Pakistans period of creation. As isreal is an occupaied territory, it had very little native arab jews. Majority of the ppl came from europe which had multi ethnic background like germany, austria, poland etc. In order to unite the people of israel , then government immediatel took the decision of making hebrew as the national language of israel. when this decision was taken place, there were only 17 people who knew hebrew. When pakistan was created which was a result of massive movement of independence by muslim all across subcontinent. the nation builders then decided to make urdu the official language of pakistan, this was in perspective that the movement of pakistan was deliberated and communicated in urdu thus a uniting factor which was understood widely in subcontinent. however when pakistan borderlines were demarcated which were unjust, many muslims coudnt acceed to pakistan. the stark evidence is india has more muslims than all in pakistan. The irony of Pakistan is that the leaders who made this nation were sidelined by self motivated individuals who wanted to create states that wud benefit their own interest and this is how we end up in small groups based on ethnicity. landlords of that era never wanted to unite the nation under the banner of islam but to divide and rule. Furthermore the essence of nation relies on justice which was only for the rich. up till today the same land lords rule their town and villages and remain in power and usurp resources of the ppl. this lead to hatred which feuled on ethinic grounds. the ppl who gets the most advantage of ethnic divide is the rich of those ethnicity, thus- paving a complete rule on their people. All this hatred and divide can only be eradicated when we have to unite under the banner of justice for all, irrespective of caste and creed with one language and one nation. otherwise we would never stop blaming each other and this would divide to irreaprable loss. Wake up pakistan,,evil of others doesnt create basis of pointing each other...Evil is evil and good is good,,it has no color or caste.
i have never heard of phatan goth in lahore or Islamabad ? but in karachi i find phatan goths all over the places ? what is the direct relation, is karachi for all but lahore and islamabad are not...those who live short sighted memory must remember Bushra Zaidi
Is not that threatening?
@Pooya Dubash: When someone is dragged against wall what do you think. 24 Hours (out of 48 hours) left in Altaf Hussain's warning as Government is doing nothing except doing image building for Afaq Hussain of Haqiqi.
Looks like Karachi has to face worst in the coming day and Economic Wheel looks likes to Halt and stand still as Government has totally failed to discharge its neutral duties to bring back calm in Karachi.
Buy one month Ration - that it the request of Altaf Hussain. it looks like a long drawn conflict if PPP Government does not move fast to restore peace in this holy month of Ramzan.
More likely, Government is pushing hard MQM to demand a seperate province which will be no point of return as writing is very much on the wall.
Regards
Dr. Saleem Siddiqi Johannesburg - South Africa
The entire needs de-weaponisation not only Karachi . However , in Karachi, the situation alarming
Let me restate what I said yesterday in another post. Mohajir was a name given to describe those who migrated from India in the 51 census in Pakistan. The provinces never whole heartedly accepted them since they took a lot of good jobs due to higher literacy and qualification in that group. The quota system was setup to allow the provinces to discriminate and Sindh with the most migrants saw its biggest effects (guess how prime minister's daughter goes to top Med school). MQM was formed mostly out of that grievance. Later, MQM figured that the problem was bigger than discrimination against migrants, but it was a class discrimination and so they changed their name to Muthahida. MQM is fighting the battle against the status quo i.e. the feudals and guess what: they are mad and they would rather have poor die left and right (thru bystanders, cross-fighting, in-fighting...), than to give up their hold on power. Unfortunately, we Pakis are so hot blooded and dim-witted that we start bashing each other on forums and real life and hence the situation we are in and i guess... deserve.
Karachi has become a city of RUTHLESS KILLERS ( worst than the BEASTS OF TTP). These beasts maybe on 5% of the total population of Karachi but they have made the rest of Karachites very scared people. Go to any of the areas in Karachi , the streets have barriers and two guards with guns are sitting there for protection and STILL the residents of these very streets are very scared, traumatized and need psychiatric help. During the month of July 305 innocent people were killed and on the first 24 hrs of August 23 people had been shot killed. HOW RUTHLESS AND CALLOUS ONE CAN GET??? There is no foreign hand involved it is these three major political parties, plus the religious and banned organization who have been having their day in ruthlessly murdering people. Recently Afaq's party has also joined the merry band of killers especially after the previous home minister met them jailed Afaq and now Abdul Qadir Patel of PPP is meeting Afaq and his party men. I know one thing that the Govt. is not serious in Karachi's peace cause the day the Govt. decides to have peace , Karachi will be peaceful.
@Pooya Dubash: and money for rashans??
Wow, Our Leaders have played the Trum Card. Ethinic Issues :D - We were becoming united to fight against corruption and failures of Government now they have used there speciality.... Keep Fighting you Ethinic concerned peoples instead of becoming United Pakistanis.
Sometime I think, according to our hearts and stonage mentality....
We deserve this leadership.....
Peace
SO what now ? do we start stacking up on rashans since karachi will be again in a turmoil ?
@H.A. Khan de weaponising Karachi will only rid it of legal arms what do you propose to do about the illegal weapons that are used in crime, terrorism and target killing?
shoot at sight the terrorists
@ Beenish Khan: You might have been a direct victim of ethnic clash that is why u have some personal grudges against pakhtuns but try to see the whole picture here. I dont live in Karachi even then i can tell the difference between fact & fiction. All the news i have seen, more than half of the peaple dying in these clashes are pakhtuns. So please dont link this situation with something that happened to you in the past. Try to evaluate the situation from current facts available all over the news.
Finally! Afaq has his day, that he'd been planning every single day he was in confinement!
@ ET moderator: My comment on this article has not been displayed. There is no derogatory remark in my comment. These are facts experienced by our community and there is a solution for peace suggested. Do not alienate the Urdu-speaking community further by suppressing their freedom of speech. Please do not discriminate and publish my comment.
Not all Urdu-Speakers support MQM but it is a fact that GENOCIDE (ethnic cleansing) is going on against the Urdu-Speakers in Karachi. It is evidently clear after Zulfiqar Mirza's (planned & scripted) hate filled speech, which was not just against MQM but he ridiculed our forefathers as well.
I wonder what Karachi would have been today had the migrant community not settled here. It would be very similar to a dust-filled, sewage flowing, stinking and a stone age depicting interior Sindh, just happened to travel by road into interior Sindh last week and was shocked to see as to what kind of life they are living in the interior, literally in the stone age. One thing is certain, no power in Pak can eliminate 20-30 million Urdu-Speakers forcefully based in urban Sindh but they can sure be ethnically targeted, looted and marginalized. In order to avoid bloodshed, sanity should prevail and a separate province should be made for the Urdu-Speakers to administer their urban issues accordingly. This seems to be the only prudent, pragmatic and a long term peace ensuring solution, otherwise it will be impossible to survive with the the amount of hate, racism and animosity that exists against the Urdu-Speakers.
This is the only thinkable way to Co-exist peacefully.
@Suggestion: Remember we are surviving because of Arms.. If we laid it down, that will be the last day for us.
I am not supporting violence but no option left to our people.
@Salman Orangiwala: what you dont want to do?
De-weponise Karachi.
No one should be allowed to bear /own arms in Karachi other than law enforcement agencies.
Not all Urdu-Speakers support MQM but it is a fact that GENOCIDE (ethnic cleansing) is going on against the Urdu-Speakers in Karachi. It is evidently clear after Zulfiqar Mirza's (planned & scripted) hate filled speech, which was not just against MQM but he ridiculed our forefathers as well.
I wonder what Karachi would have been today had the migrant community not settled here. It would be very similar to a dust-filled, sewage flowing, stinking and a stone age depicting interior Sindh, just happened to travel by road into interior Sindh last week and was shocked to see as to what kind of life they are living in the interior, literally in the stone age.
One thing is certain, no power in Pak can eliminate 20-30 million Urdu-Speakers by force based in urban Sindh but they can sure be ethnically targeted, looted and marginalized. In order to avoid bloodshed, sanity should prevail and a separate province should be made for the Urdu-Speakers to administer their urban issues accordingly. This seems to be the only prudent, pragmatic and a long term peace ensuring solution, otherwise it will be impossible to survive with the the amount of hate, racism and animosity that exists against the Urdu-Speakers.
This is the only thinkable way to Co-exist peacefully.
if MQM-H is fighting MQM-A, isn't it a fight between two Urdu speaking parties? how is it ethnic if they are both of the same ethnicity.
@Beenish Khan, I have experienced the same violence you have described except the other way around. members of my household have been kidnapped and murdered by urdu speaking terrorists because of being pathan. To my understanding it was all triggered when a pathan bus driver ran over a urdu speaking girl.
lastly, any Pakistani should view the name mohajir as a racist insult, unless you are someone who does not consider Pakistan your home and are planing on going back to India.
@Amjad: Do you live in karachi ?
GOD save pakistan from PPP...
I agree with Beenish. I can't deny the ethnic clashes when I have seen the 90's genocide myself. We lived in F.B area at that time and there was hardly any day when Mohajir guys didn't die and their bodies weren't thrown in either children's park or on streets. My mother was almost saved from being kidnapped by Pathans during 70s. So whoever says that MQM is playing ethnic card needs to grow up and face reality i.e. we are not a nation, just a crowd of various ethnic groups.
@Beenish Khan:
what a biased and onesided comment.everyone in karachi knows that over 80% of the people killed in target killings have been pakhtuns and punjabis.yet you want to portray the migrants as the supposed victims.everyone knows who is in control of karachi,who has the most sophisticated weapons. this policy of first killing and then doing matam for those you've murdered is most sickening.
the hotels of pakhtuns,their carpet shops,buses and rickshawas have been deliberately targetted and burned over the last 3 years.the pakhtuns are the ones being targetted and forced to flee karachi.hundreds have been killed and lakhs forced to migrate to punjab and kp.there has been no campaign against the migrants in karachi because their party is in total control of the streets of karachi.if there is ethnic cleansing it is of the pakhtuns whose homes and shops are being systematically burned down.
why is the pot calling the kettle black?
@Beenish Khan:
Its happening again now and unfortunately the only path i see leading to a resolution is covered in blood and tears.
@Beenish Khan: Same thing happened to my grand father, who lived near liauqat market, sauda-a-bad malir, were mqm workers in 1986 attacked and burned his general store and his home, because he was belongs to punjab.
In 1986, my own family saw very similar riots where Pathans attacked Aligadh colony. Pathans living in our area and close family friends left the area early in the morning without giving any Mohajir friend any hint. My own brothers were beaten by Pathans, a group of attackers entered our house and were taking my brothers and father away, one of the group members was my father's friend from work, he identified my father and asked others to leave our family. It's one incident which my family never forgets and when we see the current situation, we are most thankful to God for leaving the area in subsequent years.
I don't know if it's ethnic or not but Pathans have certainly attacked Mohajirs now and then, others may disagree but being a direct victim I can't. Saying that, every group has good/bad, if it wasn't for a Pathan, we all might have been dead. Lastly, it makes for a good intellectual discussion to say that there are no ethnic riots, but in practical world I will say that Karachites please be safe and stay vigilant.
@Imran Ghazali: Haha funny.. That's probably the only good thing about mqm..the graphics in that picture up there!
Blame the others always. THats all what the mqm is about. Sad sad sad.
Guys, Please, Please stop the hatred and the violence! Please try to live in peace! Imagine how many innocent lives are being lost to this senseless violence. Imagine, if this violence directly affected you and your family!
"members started running out of control"...and demanded bhata from all the MNAs
Lay down your arms and you will have the protection of your fellow citizens.
Do you guys have special graphic designers for MQM flag / poster? #justsaying! making it look real cool.
Would be interesting to find out the basis of MNA Abdul Qadir Patel's new found love of MQM Haqiqi. Be that as it may, PPP cannot force Muttahda to sit with anyone just as much as Muttahda cannot force PPP to sit with PPP (Shaheed Bhutto) or NPP. Unnatural demands and policies always result in detriment of the people and the country. It will behoove well for the politicians to concentrate on sane policies and goodwill for the people rather than short-sighted diatribes. The city is going to hell in a handbasket in the meantime.
MQM is Always Ready to Play Ethnic card. God Save Pakistan from this pseudo ethnic clashes.
How can the MQM possibly have any credible complaint about violence in Karachi when they themselves are responsible for much of the violence. They should set an example by stopping the armed groups within their midst.