The cauldron that is Karachi
If terrorists can be deprived of arms, restoring order in Karachi may become an easier affair.
If terrorists can be deprived of arms, restoring order in Karachi may become an easier affair.
It is too early to judge what the eventual outcome of the targeted operation underway in Karachi will be. But some clues are beginning to emerge as to quite what is cooking in the giant cauldron in the city and what ingredients form a part of this evil-tasting stew. Identifying them is important so that we can understand what is being brewed up and what factors are responsible for creating the mess that now exists.
The Supreme Court has done us a favour by pin-pointing one of the issues involved and asking security agencies, including Rangers and Customs, to file returns before it of what was being done to stem the flow of arms into Karachi. The Court noted the city was awash with arms manufactured in India and Israel and suggested these could be brought in, presumably with some kind of official connivance (or negligence, perhaps), only through seaports. The possible involvement of powerful elements was discussed. The observation, made while hearing the Karachi law and order case is an important one, with intelligence officials agreeing that arms were indeed coming into the metropolis. It is obvious their presence plays a part in exacerbating the security situation, which remains grim in the city. The gunning down on September 18 of People’s Aman Committee leader Zafar Baloch is evidence of this — and has, of course, aggravated ethnic and political tensions.
The need felt by the criminal and terrorist elements operating in Karachi for arms is underscored by the fact that 10 out of 12 men apprehended in a security crackdown on those who had attacked Nato containers in Hub and taken away a large stockpile of arms were allegedly linked to ongoing strife in Lyari. If they can be deprived of arms, restoring order in Karachi may become an easier affair. This must form a central part of official strategy, with the Interior Minister stating the Karachi operation had led to hundreds of terrorists fleeing the city, while a second, tougher phase of action in the city was now being prepared for in the bid to restore the peace it so desperately needs after months of violence. If the arms flow to the city is checked, there is every hope that the terrorists elements fleeing Karachi would not feel that they can once again return and flourish in the city, and this second phase will go a long way to drastically reduce the violence in the city.
Published in The Express Tribune, September 21st, 2013.
The Supreme Court has done us a favour by pin-pointing one of the issues involved and asking security agencies, including Rangers and Customs, to file returns before it of what was being done to stem the flow of arms into Karachi. The Court noted the city was awash with arms manufactured in India and Israel and suggested these could be brought in, presumably with some kind of official connivance (or negligence, perhaps), only through seaports. The possible involvement of powerful elements was discussed. The observation, made while hearing the Karachi law and order case is an important one, with intelligence officials agreeing that arms were indeed coming into the metropolis. It is obvious their presence plays a part in exacerbating the security situation, which remains grim in the city. The gunning down on September 18 of People’s Aman Committee leader Zafar Baloch is evidence of this — and has, of course, aggravated ethnic and political tensions.
The need felt by the criminal and terrorist elements operating in Karachi for arms is underscored by the fact that 10 out of 12 men apprehended in a security crackdown on those who had attacked Nato containers in Hub and taken away a large stockpile of arms were allegedly linked to ongoing strife in Lyari. If they can be deprived of arms, restoring order in Karachi may become an easier affair. This must form a central part of official strategy, with the Interior Minister stating the Karachi operation had led to hundreds of terrorists fleeing the city, while a second, tougher phase of action in the city was now being prepared for in the bid to restore the peace it so desperately needs after months of violence. If the arms flow to the city is checked, there is every hope that the terrorists elements fleeing Karachi would not feel that they can once again return and flourish in the city, and this second phase will go a long way to drastically reduce the violence in the city.
Published in The Express Tribune, September 21st, 2013.