The HRCP on Karachi

Peace in Karachi will only be achieved by political parties that decide to put the city ahead of their interests.

By now, everyone from the Supreme Court to the PML-N has had their say on the causes and solutions to the violence in Karachi but the report issued on October 8 by the Human Rights Commission of Pakistan (HRCP), titled “Karachi: unholy alliance for mayhem”, carries even more weight because of the credibility and dedication of the organisation. The HRCP is not afraid of taking names and without letting any of the other parties of the hook, explicitly names MQM for its role in stirring up violence. The HRCP takes a long view of the current situation, attributing it to demographic shifts in the city and claiming that the party is using force to maintain its political monopoly in the city. The report also points out the rise in extortion, usually carried out by gangs with political affiliation and how this leads to turf wars.

Pointing out the root causes of the violence, while requiring the courage to take on armed and dangerous political parties, isn’t enough on its own. Solutions, too, need to be proffered. Among other solutions, the HRCP calls on the police to be depoliticised, for the city to be rid of all weapons whether licensed or unlicensed and an end to encroachments and no-go areas. Most of these solutions, in one form or the other, have been proposed before. The key here is implementation. Unfortunately, a Catch-22 effect is in play. Those who have the power to bring about these changes and allow peace to flourish in Karachi are in fact the very political parties who are responsible for the violence. With the political parties in the city showing no appetite for compromise, there have been increased calls for the army to step in and sort the situation out. The HRCP report wisely cautions against further operations by the Rangers. Previous experience has taught us that police action tends only to lead to a tense, short-term peace after which violence is renewed with even more ferocity. As valuable as the HRCP report is, ultimately peace in Karachi will only be achieved by political parties that decide to put the city ahead of their narrow interests.

Published in The Express Tribune, October 11^th, 2011.