No-go area no more: The Nine Zero life

Sleep soundly after leaving your keys in the ignition in this part of Karachi.

KARACHI: It has been several decades when people in Karachi would have gotten away with leaving their keys in the ignition and coming back to find their motorcycle parked where they left it. The residents of the area surrounding Nine Zero, the headquarters of Muttahida Qaumi Movement (MQM), can still afford to have such oversights.

There is no concept of theft or mugging in this area, said a resident, Umair, adding that to say that their neighbourhood is highly secure would be putting it mildly. "The children in my family play outside till late at night with no fears of getting kidnapped," he said.

The resident admitted, however, that late night political gatherings at Nine Zero do irritate them sometimes. "The rush, the people shouting slogans, the noise of loudspeakers sometimes in the middle of the night is annoying but we enjoy the hustle bustle around our homes too," he said.

This utopia may come to an end soon as the barricades around Nine Zero have been removed 'voluntarily'. The Rangers thought this was a no-go area so the party removed the blockades, said MQM official Qamar Mansoor. "We don't stop anyone from passing through the area," he said. "We ask for their identification and that's our right since we have such high threats."

The heavy barricades on the main street between Mukka Chowk and Allah Wali Chowrangi were removed soon after the Rangers raid on March 11. There are still some hurdles placed on the road that make cars zig zag through. The four small roads leading to the party headquarters are, however, still barricaded and only residents are allowed to enter after a thorough body search.

Bagh-e-Afza, a park named after the daughter of MQM chief Altaf Hussain, has also been hosting far more people than before. "Since the road was opened and we could pass through, we decided to stop over," said a middle-aged couple.

The removal of barricades is, however, not going down well with the party activists who felt their sole source of security was taken away from them because they are 'Muhajirs'. "There was a time when children could play on the streets as the traffic was thin and the roads were not open for everyone," said a worker, Ehsan.

Even the guard deployed outside Bagh-e-Jinnah, another park that hosts the party's larger conventions, said the residents are complaining since the barriers were removed. "Now this street has become a common street," he said, adding that they removed the barriers voluntarily as they did not want the media to think that this was a no-go area.

"If a truck barges into this street, crosses this barrier and explodes inside the residential area, who will be responsible," he questioned, as he lifted the iron barrier for the cars going through. "Of course, it will be those who compelled us to remove these security checkpoints," he answered himself.

For the shopkeepers in the area, the removal of barriers means more business. "Since the street is open for everyone, it is better for our business," said a milk vendor, Hashim, who felt that the removal of the barriers does not affect the party's influence in the area. "Whether or not the streets the blocked, it belongs to the MQM."

Published in The Express Tribune, March 19^th, 2015.