News
Thursday, April 05, 2012
HRCP expresses concern over violence in Karachi* Commission says violence has killed more than 300 during current year
* Urges govt, political parties to find way out
Staff Report
LAHORE: The Human Rights Commission of Pakistan (HRCP) has expressed concern over the latest cycle of violence and utter breakdown of law and order in Karachi, urging the government and main political parties to work together to find a way out.
In a statement issued on Wednesday, the commission says the HRCP is alarmed and dismayed at the latest bout of bloodshed that has gripped Karachi. Frequent calls for strikes and the violence they entail have led to loss of life, as well as considerable financial loss. The violence in the city has killed more than 300 people during the current year. Countless others have been unable to go to work or leave their homes because of fears regarding their safety. Nearly 1,800 people were killed in violence in 2011.
There is a consensus that much of the violence in Karachi is part of an increasingly deadly turf war in which the main political parties in Karachi have enthusiastically participated. This state of affairs is completely unacceptable. The fact that the government has failed to apprehend those responsible for the killings has aggravated the situation.
Besides the armed gangs affiliated with political parties that have been blamed for much of the killings and violence, particularly in Lyari, common criminals have also benefited from the breakdown of law and order. Instead of restoring the writ of the state and apprehending and trying the mischief-makers, the government has relied on appeasement of political allies. That has not worked. It is high time that all the main political parties in Karachi sit down together and find a way to put an end to the intermittent cycles of killings in the city. They must also agree to refrain from calls for the city’s shutdown as that affects daily wage earners who are already struggling to make ends meet.
If the government is serious about its latest vow of ‘indiscriminate action’ in Karachi, then it must start with an across-the-board de-weaponisation drive in the city. That would only be the first step, but one that is imperative to stem the rot. However, much of what is needed to heal the wounds of a deeply fractured Karachi simply can be done not by police or the paramilitary forces, but by the political parties. Failure to end polarisation, xenophobia and to promote communal harmony is precisely what regularly takes the city to the brink. Urgent attention must be given to these matters. The government should also adequately compensate the families of all those killed in the violence.
Courtesy www.dailytimes.com.pk