News
Tuesday, July 12, 2011
Citizens for Democracy calls for restoration of peace in Karachi
KARACHI: The Citizens for Democracy, a coalition of professional organisations, non-governmental organisations (NGOs), trade unions, student unions, political parties and individuals that is committed to work against the society’s turn towards extremism and the misuse of religion as a political tool, strongly condemned the brutal violence in Karachi, which has been going on for five consecutive days. With the death toll rising above 100, the bloodbath in the city has brought life to a complete halt, crippling livelihoods and restricting people’s access to emergency facilities, jeopardising their lives and security.
“We at the Citizens for Democracy are also saddened at the role of the city’s political parties that have failed to play their due part in curbing the ongoing spate of violence. There is need for political parties to seriously pursue a solution for violence in the city and catch the elements within their own ranks involved in the bloodshed,” the body said in a statement.
It said that it was also concerned over the negative impact the state’s failure to control violence bears on the citizens’ trust and confidence on the state.
For years, the state has shown no noteworthy proactive approach to address the ethnic fault lines in the city, nor has it made any impactful attempt to encourage healthy and constructive integration that a multi-cultural megalopolis the size of Karachi may require. Irregular, ad hoc measures to control the regular eruption of violence in the city have done little to heal the wounds, as a result of which Karachi finds itself in the middle of chaos and bloodbath every few months. It is extremely alarming for the residents of the city that innocent citizens are being targeted on public buses and even within their houses for their ethnicity.
The Citizens for Democracy condemns the atrocious rumour mongering in the city to incite violence against different ethnicities. We appeal to the citizens of Karachi not to fall into the trap of such irrational instigations.
We also call on the government to make concerted efforts to deweaponise the city as free flow of illegal arms remain a major factor contributing to violence in the city. Peace must be restored in the city on an urgent basis. The continuous halt in business activities has brought immense misery for daily wage earners and regular workers, while students suffer over postponement of exams and emergency patients continue to struggle to get access to health facilities.
We demand the state to take its responsibility as a guardian of the security of its people seriously and undertake strong measures to curb violence in the city. We also demand that all stakeholders including the state, political parties, elected public representatives, citizens, and civil society organisations come forward and jointly work on devising and implementing a plan for lasting peace in the city. pr
Courtesy www.dailytimes.com.pk