Daily Times

Violence once again gripped Karachi on Friday as the streets of Landhi and Malir turned into battlefields when gun battles started between the heavily armed men of the Muhajir Qaumi Movement, better known as Haqiqi (MQM-H), and its rival the Muttahida Qaumi Movement (MQM), killing 14 people. The city remained tense on Saturday as well, and the death toll rose to 16. In a city where ethnic and political conflicts have already claimed over 100 lives earlier this month, the latest brutal clashes between the two rival groups is an alarming development. The MQM and MQM-H have several times been at daggers drawn over internal party differences initially, later as rival factions laying claim to the same Urdu-speaking constituency. After the detention of Haqiqi chief Afaq Ahmed in 2004, factional warfare between the two rivals had tapered off. Friday’s ambush by Haqiqi is the first of its kind after a long hiatus. Afaq Ahmed recently came into the limelight after Senior Sindh Minister Zulfiqar Mirza visited him in jail, invoking severe criticism from the MQM. That is the reason leaders of the MQM are accusing some PPP ministers of supporting the MQM-H and providing it protection.

Given this latest outbreak of internecine violence between MQM and MQM-H, if the factional warfare continues, an already bad law and order situation could become horribly worse. Karachi has already been divided on ethnic fault lines and is spiralling into anarchy and chaos. The Awami National Party (ANP) has once again demanded a military action in the city, which is not necessarily the panacea for Karachi’s troubles. The police and Rangers already deployed in the tension-hit areas need to be reassured of the government’s complete support. Only then perhaps can the portended escalation of such violence be controlled. The de-politicisation and empowerment of the police is imperative to restore law and order. An impartial prosecution of all miscreants, no matter what their political affiliation, is the need of the hour.

Tension in Karachi is fraught with serious implications for the economy. Different ethnic and political groups have been at each other’s throats to gain control over the country’s economic hub, which is resulting in incessant spates of violence. Numerous inquiries and commissions have been constituted to investigate targeted killings and incidents of violence in Karachi. However, none of these has come up with an objective report based on justice and the interests of the city and the country. Until the state implements its writ in letter and spirit, criminal gangs, whether claiming a political mantle or not, would continue crippling the lives of the citizens of Karachi. *