
It is usually when the violence reaches such a crescendo that we begin to hear calls for the Rangers to be given greater powers, such as being allowed to shoot-on-sight, or even for the army to be deployed in the city. To fall prey to these temptations would be profoundly unwise since this is, at best, a stopgap solution and does not resolve anything beyond that timeframe. Essentially, the problem in Karachi is a political one and hence the solution to reducing or eliminating it is also necessarily political.
President Zardari should follow up his Bilawal House meeting, at which the governor, chief minister, other provincial ministers and law-enforcement officials were present, with another meeting that includes local representatives of all the political parties. As the senior partner in the coalition, the PPP needs to admit that it, too, is to blame for the violence. Right now, the state has absented itself from the violence in Karachi. It is now way past the time for it to establish its dominion over the city.
Published in The Express Tribune, April 7th, 2012.
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