The Muttahida Qaumi Movement has decided to set up its own neighbourhood watch committees as it fears a backlash from the militants.
As talks between the government and the Taliban negotiators dwindle, the party has ordered its leaders, parliamentarians, units and sectors representatives to help form neighbourhood committees in the city and to report any suspicious activity or person.
While ‘appeals’ to residents had been made earlier to form vigilant teams, MQM leaders said that the current situation made them take up this call once again. The party believes that their strongholds are vulnerable targets as they are on the hit list for being secular and vocal against militants. “Around one-third of the city is under the presence of militants,” said one MQM leader. “But we will defend and save Karachi in case they do any damage.”
Meanwhile, the party’s deputy convener, Nasir Jamal said that an awareness campaign has been started where residents have been asked to form committees and take up the responsibility of their own protection. They will keep an eye on who is living in their areas and what activities they are involved in.
The party’s parliamentarians are also pushing people in their constituencies to do the same. In MNA Ali Raza Abidi’s constituency of NA- 251, a 20-person committee has been formed to oversee 600 houses in Mehmoodabad No. 5. The area’s unit office is helping out as well.
Resident committees, which might not necessarily comprise MQM supporters or workers, are hiring unemployed youngsters of the area as watch guards. Residents are pooling in money to give financial support as well. “They have been told strictly to keep records of house owners in the locality, the houses being rented out and information on tenants,” explained Abidi. “This is a self-initiative and those people in the committee will not be armed.”
Abidi added that the committee will not bother the law enforcement agencies but will keep them in the loop if they come across any suspicious activity. Smaller committees are also being formed on street level. “We are preparing people to be mentally ready, so that they have immediate numbers and information of who to get in touch when the need arises.”
Korangi’s parliamentarian Ali Rashid told The Express Tribune that a door-to-door awareness campaign is also taking place in his locality to mobilise people in case of a backlash. “These committees will facilitate the law enforcement agencies in providing information and intelligence,” he said. “This does not mean that we will take the law in our own hands,” he clarified. Rashid said that the committee set-up will be difference in every locality since every place has its own dynamics.
On the other hand, police officers have called for inclusion in the committee. A police officer, who is part of a police station where a committee has been formed, said that the police should be made a member of the committee so that they can immediately tackle terrorists. There should be strong coordination between the two, he urged.
Published in The Express Tribune, February 19th, 2014.
COMMENTS (16)
Comments are moderated and generally will be posted if they are on-topic and not abusive.
For more information, please see our Comments FAQ
ebad, you go ahead and rely on PTI for protection from taliban, oh wait, PTI is the taliban, lets see you thinking good about them once they close down your music and your movies
and trust me, MQM is the lesser evil here, id rather vote of ANP then ever vote for PTI Read talian
We Karachiites have no bigger threat than MQM itself. And now they will protect us. Funny isn’t it?
For those who consider any valid service charges as bhutta need to use dictionary and get better at language.
Excellent and much needed step. Urban Takeover can only be resisted by the citizens and who else than MQM is the true representative of Karachiites. All others find their base in other provinces and Karachi is mere work place for them.
It is an excellent step. They should start ASAP.
Really what is the diffrence in these parties one is Ethanic based non islamic party and others are islamic based fascist and both collect bhatta on monthly based ....
Mqm makes neighbourhood committees to safeguard the people of area. It is clearly in the article that they would ask people of area to provide money to employ the security guard . who are those people be appointed , obviously mqm members in order to control the areas youth who might look for any main stream party , this is a clear catch. who has given a ethnic party to control the neighbourhood area. self proclaimed committees, will be monitored by the mqm workers not by the people of Karachi. if they are sincere the committees should be consist from various parties members and civil society members, not mqm. this is an other technic of mqm to control masses through these so called committees, because mqm knows people of Karachi are looking to other political parties to liberate them from the control of mqm. if they want to sincerely create committees for the benefit of people then the head of commit should be an area police officer who work with broad based neighbourhood committee
Truly a great step by MQM. Karachi should be purified of these talibs and their supporters. what an individual does morally is his own issue as long as they are not breaking any civil laws. They should keep a close eye on mosques.
Let me tell you the true story behind it, this is another way of keeping MQM fear intact in the hearts of Karachites....they already do that and keep records of people living in a jurisdiction of each sector office with them..this is totally unacceptable and breach of citizen's privacy..why karachites are obliged to provide a party with all these details about there house and property, this is no different then a tactic of private militia around the world..who try to create a state with in state..
Truly a great step by MQM. If the provincial govt can't function or provide security it is high time people and their chosen representatives take the matters in their own hand.
only MQM
Great initiative. We cannot rely on the government as they will not take action against these talibs. I voted mqm as it is the only progrrssive party that sees the threat of religious right wing clearly. Karachi should be purified of these talibs and their supporters. I would like to see karachi progress like dubai. Mqm should enact its own laws in khi to protect personal frredom. As un dubai or turkey, what an individual does morally is his own issue as long as they are not breaking any civil laws. Moral policing should not be allowed as it is the main thing these islamists use to control and threaten people. This ramazan mqm should not put controls on restaurants to close. Not everyone keeps fast. They should start curtailing the islamists by cuttibg down their influence on forced morality. They should keep a close eye on mosques. They should invite foreogners to come and develop karachi and make it a truly multi cultiral city. Rest of pakistan will follow
That's because like any other militant group, MQM and Taliban are in competition for territory, to get the most out of extortions, kidnappings and killings, both these groups excel at that.
MQM the victims of Pakistan. secular and targeted by TTP the most, along with ANP.
mqm don't include this bhutta khor police in committee. they are good for nothing, they only dance on CM Sindh music or the master wadera. Until now, this police is safeguarding only ppp interest in Karachi- i-e Lyari. its their mistake that we have Taliban in our neighborhoods, and its them who puts a blind eye on arms smuggling into Karachi... don't include anybody- we will defend ourselves! we want mqm! no to PTI....