A reformed place: The winds of change blow through Lyari

The armed men are gone and the residents dare to hope again.

KARACHI: There is a rush of customers again. All shops in the markets are open. Business goes on as normal, at least as normal as it was before the May elections last year. The hawkers again occupy the wide streets and hardly a customer is allowed to pass through without them shouting the deals they offer. The fear exists but more like a shadow that lingers than the monster that once occupied these streets.

Several people died on March 12 in the Jhat Pat Market carnage when unidentified men indiscriminately hurled hand grenades in one of city’s busiest and biggest markets. The area has known relative peace since then and many believe the bloodshed was the dark that signals dawn.



The people of Lyari want no more bloodshed, no more loss of life. Those who supported the two groups - Uzair Baloch and Baba Ladla - have either stopped doing so or are less vociferous about it.

During the height of the turmoil, the market had almost collapsed. The shopkeepers were leaving as customers dwindled. “People used to come here as they felt they could purchase whatever they wanted,” said shopkeeper Sheraz. “There was fear and the numbers had decreased but we had enough customers to make ends meet. The presence of armed men didn’t affect us but when they attacked and the bodies hit the floor that it hit boiling point.”

It was then that the market almost shut down. Dozens left Lyari forever; driven out of their homes in search of peace. “Everyone was thinking about leaving. We had no faith in law enforcement agencies and felt that the situation could not be controlled,” said another shopkeeper, Afroz Ahmed.

Light at the end of the tunnel

But since then, the situation has improved. The shopkeepers who were used to seeing armed men patrol the area say that they have been missing since the carnage. “Before, they even used to roam the area in the presence of the police,” said shopkeeper Muhammad Owais.

Once, the armed men used to demand extortion and distribute purchee [extortion slips] in broad daylight but the situation seems to be changing now. “A hawker said to an extortionist last week that ‘your time is over’. We are standing up against criminals and won’t allow them to push us around anymore if the government supports us,” said a young boy sitting idly on the corner of the market.

“Why do we have peace now and why didn’t we have it a few months back?” he asked in a philosophical tone. “It is because we accepted them and their crimes. We were afraid of their guns but no more. We have kicked them out,” he said, answering his own questions.

The Rangers have removed all speed breakers from the roads. The residents claim that there are no more no-go areas. “Yes, the fear still exists. The residents are afraid that violence will return and it will target those who talk against the gangsters,” a civil society activist commented.

The people of Lyari before the 2013 elections complained that the ‘wrong’ representation in the assembly caused the situation to deteriorate over time. Lyari’s MNA, Shahjahan Baloch also believes so.

Like others, Baloch also ponders over the changing attitude of Lyari’s people towards peace. “People want to see a changed Lyari now. I support them and believe their participation in the peace process will be vital for the change,” he said.

The residents still stare apprehensively at the street corners where the gunmen used to stand. They don’t want to be reminded about what they had gone through during the last six years but the past still haunts them.

“Peace has brought happiness to our homes and I hope it lasts. I don’t want to see my siblings’ bodies. It is painful when they kill each other or are killed as criminals,” said an aged man. 

Published in The Express Tribune, May 9^th, 2014.