City under siege: ‘Political patronage of violence, extortion behind Karachi’s chaos’

French researcher gives presentation from his book on the city.

ISLAMABAD:

Political patronage of violence and extortion networks as well as poor governance has forced Karachi into a state of chaos, according to French researcher Laurent Gayer.

Gayer, who is a research fellow at the French National Scientific Research Centre, was speaking at the Centre for Research and Security Studies (CRSS) in Islamabad on Wednesday. His presentation was in connection with his soon-to-be-published book titled “Karachi: Ordered Disorder and the Struggle for the City.”

The book is based on extensive research conducted by Gayer over a period of 12 years. In 2005, Gayer wrote his doctoral dissertation on the Muttahida Qaumi Movement’s (MQM) presence abroad.

He said most of the violence in Karachi was happening with political backing, and that the state was not guiltless either.

Gayer also compared Karachi to the Indian city of Mumbai, while underscoring that the inflow of arms after the Afghan War was a key difference.

He said Karachi is also different because the city has developed a sense of fear and adapted to it.

Citing the work done by Mustafa Kamal, Gayer said the MQM is a “formidable redistributive machine” that delivers to its constituents.

But Gayer said the past few years have seen an extremely important transformation taking place in Karachi.



The MQM’s hegemony over the city might be on the decline, but even the decline heralds more violence, Gayer claimed.

He based his claims on the MQM’s failed attempts to establish a residential area called “Altaf Nagar” near the suburbs, the entry of new political actors, the Aman Committee spreading its wings beyond Lyari, and the increasing presence of militant groups such as the Taliban.

Audience members interacted with Gayer during the question and answers session to set up a thought provoking discussion. They asked questions about the demographic shifts in Karachi, the impact of the absence of local governments, presence of militant groups and the possible solutions for resolving the problems of the city.

Gayer said Karachi’s society is witnessing deep demographic disintegration where people are afraid to move out of their communities because they fear for their lives. He also said ethnic polarisation is on the rise.

He suggested that the violence is of a “practical” nature — limited in time and space. Gayer claimed there was a cynical, yet set pattern for the violence — violence erupts, people are killed and life goes back to normal within four days.

Because of this, he said, the business sector is more worried by the rise and regulation of extortion in Karachi, rather than the violence.

Published in The Express Tribune, February 21^st, 2013.