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Karachi turned a battleground by warring groups to control the city
KARACHI: The increasing hold of the land grabbers, extortion mafia, target killers, religious, sectarian riots and the banned organisations’ invasion to dislodge the moderates and progressives have virtually thrown the city into a bloody war, while neither the subsequent federal and provincial governments nor the law enforcing agencies appear to have the will to rein in the criminals.
While the killing continued unabated and the situation deteriorated so much so that the Supreme Court of Pakistan had to take suo motu notice. Following months of hearings of all the parties, the court gave a decision about two years ago, which has remained unimplemented thus far.
The Supreme Court in its decision had said that all the stakeholders in the city have their armed wings, while the extortion and target killings menacing the city at their behest, as the stakeholders clash over city resources and funds through extortion and the government remains onlooker.
DIG police appearing before the Supreme Court admitted that he was helpless, while the Director General Rangers said that disarming the arm wings of the stakeholders was the onl6y solution. He also told the Supreme Court that 19,000 Nato containers went missing during the period of former minister of port and shipping, while the then port shipping minister Babar Ghori has already clarified his position.
Muttahida Qaumi Movement (MQM) has demanded the city administration to be handed over to the army, while Awami National Party (ANP) Asfandyar Wali said that his party had already demanded making Karachi arms-free.
United States Institute of Peace in its report said the multifaceted different types of violence — including ethno-political, militant, sectarian, and criminal—have claimed more than 7,000 lives since 2008.
The violence in Karachi threatens to destabilize Pakistan for both economic and political reasons. The city contributes more than 25 percent of gross domestic product, and disruptions in urban economic activities necessarily affect the national economy. Moreover, the ethnically diverse city is a battleground for major political parties and thus key to domestic political stability.
Militant groups, including the Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) and extremist sectarian organizations, have consolidated their presence in the city. In addition to drawing new recruits and generating funds through criminal activities, militants increasingly attack state and security targets in Karachi.
State initiatives to stem violence are superficial and ad hoc, and routinely fail to address the underlying causes of Karachi’s violence, including poor urban planning, politicization of the police, proliferating seminary networks, and a flawed criminal justice system.
Courtesy www.geo.tv