Karachi bombings

Bombings and shootings can happen in any neighbourhood, and no community can regard itself as safe

Two bombings within hours of each other once again mark Karachi as the most dangerous city in the country; the city where being in the wrong place at the wrong time can have fatal consequences. The first blast of March 20 was at a mosque of the Bohra community. The Bohras are a small and peaceful community, with their presence in Karachi the largest in the country. Mostly traders they live quietly and disturb nobody — yet are the target of those driven by sectarian hatred and as a sub-sect of the Shia they are automatic targets. The blast took place on a narrow street and was probably a timed device attached to a motorcycle. The police are examining CCTV footage for evidence as to who planted the bomb and when. Two died at the scene and about a dozen were injured. No organisation has claimed responsibility but the police suspect a sectarian motive.

Six hours later, two paramilitary soldiers died when their vehicle was reduced to scrap metal by a bomber who rode their motorcycle into it. At least four passersby were the ‘collateral damage’. Again, there was no claim of responsibility but the attack is unlikely to have been sectarian and more likely to be linked to the ongoing anti-terrorist operation in the city. These two probably unrelated bombings demonstrate just how far Karachi is from being regarded as secure. Bombings and shootings can happen in any neighbourhood, including those regarded as ‘upmarket’, and no community can regard itself as safe. With the paramilitaries patrolling right across the city they are a target of opportunity wherever the bombers can catch them. Banned organisations still operate openly, and political parties use their armed wings to cull the opposition. Large parts of the city are controlled by criminals who run fiefdoms and engage in turf wars with others of the same ilk, with ordinary citizens often caught in the crossfire. On March 20, it was the Bohras and the Rangers in the cross hairs, and Karachi once again put down a marker as being one of the most dangerous cities in the world.

Published in The Express Tribune, March 22^nd, 2015.

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