How many more days of mourning?

By Shamim-ur-Rahman

Yet another day of mourning passed in Karachi without any qualitative change in the ground realities. Although the shutters were pulled down on Muttahida’s call in which others also joined, the guns did not fall silent and fear of the unknown loomed large as there was no guarantee for security of life and property of the people.

The decline in death toll on the day of mourning was surprising and one wonders whether it was due to mutually agreed truce between the armed mafias and their protectors or was it a coincidence. Where the armed men had fizzled out? The element of fear and insecurity has gripped the psyche of the people of Karachi who are being sucked into a black whole due to short sighted, inept and corrupt political leadership; inefficient state apparatus to deal with the menace of terrorism; and the undeclared turf war between ambitious Establishment and the political leadership.

While the government lacks the capacity to come hard on the terrorists, other stake holders and political parties are not willing to accept their responsibility in spoiling the broth. Terrorist seem to have the initiative because of the absence of a well trained and well equipped police force and lack of efficient intelligence network to track down the killers. It is common knowledge that good intelligence is key to the success of any operation. But the government seems to have not realized its importance and believes in mere show of force by temporarily deploying Police or Rangers at different places. Interior minister Rahman Malik has made a mockery of operations against the terrorists by every now and then making promises that he never honoured, thus causing further criticism of the government. Instead of injecting fear among the terrorist through indiscriminate actions he has instilled fear among the rulers and compelled them to remain in a state of perpetual siege, instead of being among the people. Experts believe that if at all the government was serious about dealing with the menace of terrorism and gun running, it will have to resort to non-partisan community policing backed by strong intelligence gathering network.

Despite all the manslaughter the major stake holders are not prepared to come out of the state of denial and face facts. Facts that are common sense and are known to one and all. To deal with terrorism in Karachi it is imperative for the leadership of different political parties to isolate militant armed groups they support. Without that there can be no end to killings and proliferation of weapons of all sorts. Unfortunately in the current phase of bloodletting in the city it was just the opposite.Policing has to be reorganized in more scientific manner and merit should be the sole criteria.

We have failed in curbing crime and terrorism through police because it is said that many of them got the job after paying bribe to their superiors. So their main objective is to make more money, even if it came from supporting the mafia’s interests. That is one of the reasons why Karachi is bleeding.

Everyday we hear the sermon that Karachi is economic hub of Pakistan and its stability was key to the country’s progress and security, but the administrative measures required to ensure that are lacking. The breakdown of administrative apparatus infested with corruption has provided upper hand to the terrorists.

Terrorism in Karachi has become a thriving economic proposition at the expense of the state. Terrorism is thriving due to corruption of law enforcement machinery and other decision makers and is eroding the state foundations like termite. But the big question is who is providing these resources? Is it philanthropy or investment? If it was philanthropy then this kind of money could easily set up aperson in small business or pay for his education. Why is philanthropy being shown in buying weapons and killing people? If this is an investment then where from are the returns of this investment in crime coming? Who are the main partners, besides themain investors? How is the surplus created and distributed? What is the methodology of earning huge profits through the use of guns and terror? How this methodology is being put in practice?Investments are always made in areas where the returns are expected tobe the maximum. Why the investments are being made in Karachi? Why not elsewhere?

Karachi is the best option for these investments since this is the place where the wealth is. A good portion of Karachi’s wealth is regularly siphoned off in the form of bribes, tax evasion, extortion at gun point, grabbing of assets and many other ways. The functionaries of the state, whose prime duty it is to stop this siphoning off of wealth have over a period of time become partners in this loot. From income tax employees to the purchase departments of so many institutions to police department official there is no dearth of persons who are a part and parcel of this urban “economic model”.But these are ones that have the academic qualification and haveregular employments in the state structure.

There is a multitude that can be placed in the category of those who do not have a means of living, neither can find one and have to live on the resources of others either begged or snatched. They don’t have the authority and the powers of the state. They have to depend on their muscle/gun power. Hence the menace of extortion, land grabbing, narcotics trade, kidnapping for ransom, smuggling and flesh trade, and gun running. All these operations, rather all commercial operations are competitive. In philanthropies different stake holders co-operate with each other. In commercial operations there is fierce competition for additional space. Those who do not grow ultimately perish. So there comes no point where one is satisfied with the space or the wealth he has acquired. Rather the larger and more powerful one is the more is the need to dominate and to oppress, to acquire an even larger space.These mafias compete for space, or areas within Karachi. Those who pay include ‘Bhatta’ in their cost of production or business expensesand pass on the costs to ultimate consumers. Those who receive Bhatta also divide it according to well established “Sharing Formulas” amongall stake holders.

Whether political parties accept or not it is common knowledge that mafia’s provide the required funds for electioneering and muscle power to some political parties. Some parties that have to depend on their genuine voters try to discourage the involvement of militants since it is bad for their image and diminishes public support for them. Some tolerate them and also use them in certain situations in a defensive mode. Others put total reliance on them for generating funds not only for the running of their party but also for ostentatious living of their leaders and workers. Those who depend on stamping of ballot papers have no use for the genuine voters. They depend on occupying polling stations by force and terrorizing the people to keep them away from polling stations where they do not expect to get votes. That is where the militants come handy. Target killings are operations carried out to eliminate rival cadres and to inject the element of fear in them besides preventing them from entering their territory.Very often the group if not the particular killer is known to the local police and the local population. Encroachments and entries into “enemy” territories are also not possible without police cover and support. Thus which group is indulging in crime in which area is an open secret. Those who suffer know best and fully as to who are oppressing them.

Citizens are the ultimate sufferers both as indirect payers of extortions and victims of turf war between militants. They also have all the knowledge about the perpetrators of the crime. Fear about their own safety and the safety of their kith and kin stops themfrom coming forward and resisting the militants. Police personnel specially those at the lower level while being fully aware of the identity of the criminals and being fully capable of acting against them do not do so because of fear of reprisals.

Fear of the militants has reached a level where even if acriminal is arrested; the prosecution makes a weak case against him. Situation can only improve if political parties decided among themselves to back the political process, not the militants, and sort out their differences through negotiations instead of fighting it out in the streets of Karachi. --ENDS

Paving the way for Bonapartists

Paving the way for Bonapartists

By: Shamim-ur-Rahman

With more than a 100 people killed in the city during the past week, and government’s failure to firmly deal with the menace of terrorism in Pakistan’s economic hub, the city is rapidly being sucked into a quagmire of annihilation.

Target killings, gang wars over land grabbing and extortion money, and extending the fiefdom for greater share in the booty and political power, has injected a new wave of anarchy and extremism in this port city that was once the city of lights and safe heaven for forward looking liberals. It has become home for extremist groups backed by criminal mafias and certain political elements.

According to one estimate Rs 3 billion is the daily loss of revenue to the government from industries during a day of strike. This was besides the loss incurred by traders, transporters, and daily wage earners. A conservative estimate is that revenue loss during the past 12 strike calls since March 3, 2011 was more than 60 billion rupees that had a crippling effect on the national economy. This also reflects hollowness of the claims of political parties about their concern for the wellbeing and progress of Pakistan’s economic hub. MQM, PPP, ANP, and nationalists and religious political parties all had their role in crippling the economy.

Instead of improving the security environment their strike has further aggravated the situation due to the scale and consistency of killings in the city.Their conflict has also resulted in unaccounted for loss of man hours in the industry and other workplace. It has also resulted in loss of studies in the educational institutions and has caused sever strain on the students and their parents. While political parties continue to fight their turf war and the government has failed to address bread and butter issues and providing employment, religious extremists, including elements belonging to Taliban have also entrenched themselves in the metropolis, making the battle for controlling Karachi even deadlier.

But the current wave of killing was not their handiwork. Credit goes to those who claimed themselves to be liberals, secular and democratic. They once again injected ethnicity in the conflict to agitate public sentiments in their favour for maintaining their hold. Most of the time, according to reports, those involved in target killings are party activists, but after each round of blood letting the blame is shifted on the ‘land mafia’ “drug mafia” or “bhatta mafia” and other criminal elements.

There is little attempt at introspection and weeding out violent elements from within their own rank and file. There were reports that after the arrest of some important operatives the fighting became more intense to pressure government to release them. None of the political parties accept it, but credible intelligence reports suggest that all the major political parties the city were heavily armed and trained in the use of firearms. Since political parties are not prepared to drop criminal elements and those who provide the muscle and fire power from the band wagon, situation has become graver.

Perhaps the habit of extravagant living and the need of more funds to run party affairs compel them to do so. Ironically this has significantly injected drug money in the activities of political parties and extremists elements operating in the city. Stakes are so high that if the situation is allowed to continue like this, the city will become the real battlefield like Beirut because there is so much of arms and ammunition in possession of the combatants.

The MQM’s fall back on ethnic sentiments to protect its moorings in the current crisis and its conflict with the ANP amid scaremongering against a possible Taliban take over, has complicated the situation and has also increased the covert involvement of external elements in this port city. There is a perception that the current blood bath was some how related to the issue of differences between MQM, ANP and the PPP over local bodies issue. MQM is not prepared to accept anybody’s “encroachment” in its fiefdom and hence its clash with ANP and PPP.

City District government of Karachi was considered as the bastion of MQM’s power. It used its control of the CDGK to extend its influence. ANP is now claiming to be the custodian of the interests of Pashtuns who have settled in Karachi and demanding more representation on the ground. Similar demands are also being made by the PPP which is the leading political party of the province and the country. Thus, the present precarious law-and-order situation in Karachi is the off shoot of their competing politics of control over city.

The indecisiveness and incompetence of the government to deal firmly with the terrorists could be politically catastrophic, and we may be plunged into a situation that may be even more dangerous than the early 1990s. The recent bloodbath and the growing trust deficit between the politicalparties in Sindh are bad omen. It is pushing the dispensation to the edge amid fear of anarchy and centrifugal forces gaining upper hand.

Already Karachi situation is being used to justify replacement of the current civilian dispensation with Establishment-backed judiciary-led caretaker arrangement. Efforts are on to muster political support for such an arrangement. But events in Karachi cannot be controlled like that. It has to be through a genuine consensus among the political stake holders. Otherwise the city of lights may be turned into a city of warlords with horrifying consequences for the country. ENDS .