Karachi was silenced on Wednesday as businesses, schools, transportation and other related activities of life came to a grinding halt after a former lawmaker of Muttahida Qaumi Movement (MQM) Nadeem Hashmi was arrested from his North Nazimabad home on a charge of the murder of two police officers. As soon as the news of Hashmi’s arrest was flashed on Tuesday night, an eerie lull spread across the province, while the people waited for another day of strikes and mayhem. Some unidentified miscreants rampaged through the city of Karachi, Hyderabad, Sukkur and Mirpurkhas on Wednesday resorting to firing and setting five vehicles on fire. The arrest of Hashmi, who was also in-charge of MQM’s North Nazimabad unit, was based on the allegation that he ran away after killing two policemen in the vicinity of his area. Initially he was put in North Nazimabad police station. Later due to security concerns he was shifted to Pirabad police station. The arrest has drawn scathing remarks from the MQM leadership, accusing the PPP government of initiating another operation against the MQM. Calling it the usual course of PPP’s conduct whenever it comes to power, MQM alleged that this time it was their turn to bear PPP’s wrath. The clean-up operation underway in Karachi, which was started with the consensus of all parties, is being labelled a targeted operation against MQM bringing back memories of the 1992 operation. MQM chief Altaf Hussain has asked his followers to brace for the state oppression underway in the garb of operation cleanup. He said the mood of the government is visible in the way they have chosen to target the strongholds of MQM. Calling the entire exercise malign in nature and intent, MQM considers the operation untenable in the long run, unless it cuts across party lines and elements involved in creating a law and order situation in the city.
Not that we were not expecting all this to happen as soon as Karachi’s operation would touch MQM’s raw nerve. Any operation in Karachi could not escape touching the MQM base. It was inevitable that political parties would be netted, since Karachi’s problem lies in the power its political system lent to criminal elements. In fact the criminal and militant wings of the political parties are more sophisticated in conducting crime than the ordinary criminals, the reason being their ability to tamper with the law and use it to their advantage as and when needed. The turf war that Karachi has been subjected to for the last so many years is precisely the reason behind the killings that has made the city almost a morgue for its people. Indeed the operation underway should be impartial and must not distinguish between parties. However, it should not be halted either for fear of blowback by any party. There will be much more uproar and protests by the MQM if Nadeem Hashmi’s case is further processed, which should not be allowed to keep the law from taking its course. The credibility of this operation lies as much in its impartiality as to its ability to continue until it achieves its target: cleansing Karachi of criminal elements and returning peace to it so that it starts serving its people through economic benefits. That precisely has been the definition of this port city, the backbone of the country’s economy. A single day’s strike in Karachi causes a loss of Rs 10 billion. Already mired by other infrastructural flaws such as power, water and gas shortages, industry cannot afford the jolts strikes give them. The entire country looks at Karachi for prosperity. Therefore unless the political leadership is serious about bringing Karachi back on its feet, any other service to the country will remain an attempt to paper over the situation. Now is the time to take a holistic view of things. If MQM has reservations about the operation, it can be handled as the federal government is doing already. However, while putting some facts straight on the 1992 operation, one is reminded of its aftermath that eventually saw almost all the frontline police officers killed one by one who dared touch the raw nerves of MQM in the city. Therefore crying wolf over the 1992 operation would further lend credence to the argument that this operation must continue. No matter how relentless it has to be, this is a nettle that has to be grasped firmly. *