Who
do you think is responsible for the prolonged lawlessness in
Karachi?
Do you suggest any administrative change, if so in what form?
editor@jang.com.pk
Please keep your contributions short,
giving your name and address, which is necessary for your
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Your Opinion
Altaf started the violence in Karachi. We used to hear all kinds of horror tales about those torture camps and wonder against whom they were doing this heinous crime. He never gave life to anyone and has no right to take away either.
When the violence tried to reach him he left the country and sought refuge in a foreign land. Although he no longer lives in Pakistan, he still calls himself a leader of those whom he has left behind. After all they are continuing his legacy of violence. But above all they are footing bill for him to live in exile.
At the time of partition, those who migrated opted to settle where ever they wished. Soon after independence many immigrants died and a new generation grew up learning to be called Pakistanis. Mr. Altaf chose to guide those immigrants who speak Urdu and live in Karachi or nearby. He told them to forget about being called Pakistanis and coined a new term for them: Mohajirs. Was he really interested in people who migrated and settled all over Pakistan or was he interested in his own leadership? What about the rest of the people who migrated?
It is very easy to blame others for our own ills. Who is to blame for all the ills of Pakistan has even today? Can't blame India or foreign powers for it. It is we who are killing each other; it is we who are supporting crime; it is we who have made this country the most corrupt country on the earth. It is we who are to blame for whatever we are today.
Saleem Humayun
SHumayun@aol.com
MQM (both factions) and the government are responsible for this mess. MQM (Altaf group) because it is the one which sowed the seeds of hatred on the non-basis of language and land. I have seen MQM people openly showing arms to make people support them. I have seen them throwing dead bodies in my own locality.
On the other hand, the government is doing everything to save itself, not the people. They say they will suppress terrorism, but eventually support the people who terrorise. The police are also, to me, a terrorist group. They make people suffer due to their own greed.
All of this has made the people of the city feel insecure. MQM wants to control Karachi unhindered, government wants to save itself, and the people of the city are suffering.
I don't know where it will end, but people here predict relentless bloodshed unless something concrete is done to remedy the situation.
Sohaib Faruqi
NewYork
To answer the above question, I would like to draw the kind attention of viewers towards a letter written by Muhammad Riyaz.
I agree with his letter to the extent of maintenance of law and order. But he also says Altaf Hussain is the main culprit. In this connection I would request viewers to give substantial evidence to prove that Mr. Altaf Hussain is responsible for the mess. I would like to tell viewers that Mr. Altaf Hussain once addressed a public meeting on Jan 26,1990 in Karachi (famous COP meeting). Is there any other evidence in recent history that any leader in the sub-continent addressed such a big public meeting consisting of more than 50 to 55 hundred thousand people of all nationalities of Pakistan?
This meeting gave way to Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif to become a leader of Pakistan. This public meeting was a reminder to feudal lords, bureaucrats and the army that Mr.Altaf Hussain and their system can not go together.
The same thing happened in 1971 in East Pakistan resulting in the surrender of 95,000 army personnel. Here I would like to tell Mr.Riyaz that those who are in power should realise the fact that people must accept the mandate of public given to their leader.
Raza H.Paracha
Brooklyn,NY
Ethnic mentality, chaos, ignorance, illiteracy, aimless bureaucrats, heartless and selfish politicians all are responsible for the lawlessness in Karachi.
The only solution is to make many small administrative units of Pakistan, distribute the resources to these units and let them spend these resources by their elected representatives to improve health, education and create jobs for the people through different development projects.
Demolish all the provinces, rehabilitate the civil services, including police and judiciary, and let them work without political influence. It's very important to have well-established and democratic political parties. To do this there should be a framework for the parties, fix reasonable amount in budget to distribute funds to the parties after some criteria e.g. after percentage of votes a party gets from the previous election and a minimum limit of percentage of votes.
Ibrahim Raja
Sweden.
This is in response to Mr.Shakeel Kouser’s letter regarding my comments on Karachi's situation.
First of all I want to make one thing clear: I
am a son of the soil and proud to be a Karachiite. My political
consciousness was built during the peak era of MQM. Things that I
wrote in my last letter were based on what I perceived as
Karachi's main problem. I never totally blamed MQM for the
Karachi problem. But I said that MQM is very much responsible for
the current situation. Of course, intelligence agencies and drug
mafia are involved, but they are taking advantage of the
lawlessness created by MQM.
A party which wins election with sweeping
majority has the most responsibility of taking care of its
voters. This party since 1988 has created more lawlessness then
any other institution. No matter MQM is in government or
opposition all it does is complain about nothing. Right now the
only institution that can bring
peace to Karachi is none other than MQM. Only MQM can stop
intelligence agencies and drug mafia from playing havoc with the
city.
Irfan Ahmed
Houston
U.S.A.
In my opinion the left over problems were caused by military as they have always been the only power in Pakistan.
But when I started digging deep down into Pakistan's history, I like any other normal person, saw a pattern forming. There were only feudal lords in that pattern.
These are the people who gave birth to MQM. When people didn't get anything from the government, after paying all those killer taxes, they got frustrated. To me Karachi's problem is not MQM or racial problem, in fact it is not only Karachi's problem but it is also the problem of those 98% people who have been oppressed by 2% feudal lords throughout Pakistan. These feudal lords have their people in bureaucracy and military to protect their interests.
I fully agree with John Mcnamara's suggestions:
1. People after all that bloody violence vote for MQM, and give control to MQM. But if the latter can't fix things then the blame falls on them. Every time they come back with sweeping majority every time they are crushed worse than last time, if this remains as it is then nothing can fix Karachi's problems.
2. If anyone needs to be punished in Pakistan, it’s Pakistan's feudal lords. Confiscate all the lands from them (like they did in India 50 years ago) and distribute into those who deserve.
3. We don't need a big portion of the budget for military, for God's sake spend money to educate masses.
Salman Khurram
Chicago, IL, USA
I was surprised to read the opinion of Mr. Nasir Shah. In order to correct the record let me explain to Mr. Shah that I was born in Muzafarnagar, U.P. India. I was 9 months old when my mother migrated to Pakistan in 1951. My father, who belongs to Nagpur, had already migrated to Pakistan. I spent 30 years of my life in Karachi and migrated to USA in 1981. I am not a so-called Mohajir who are born in Karachi, never migrated, but call themselves Mohajir!
Now with this background I again want to say that Altaf Hussain and his criminal associates should be eliminated. The punishment for the murderers and killers should be nothing else but a death sentence. It is true that people of Karachi suffer because of the quota system, employment discrimination etc. Ghunda tax, bhatta, murder, robberies and terrorism are the tactics used by Altaf Hussain and his gang members. He and his followers should be punished.
If Altaf Hussain is not a murderer then he should come to Pakistan and face the charges. Can he dare to come?
Muhammad Riyaz
Virginia, USA
I was in Karachi during 1980's until 1993. I have closely watched the political and economical situation of this country and specially Karachi. During my research, I have found out that the military in Pakistan has way too much authority. I can not believe that instead of spying on Pakistan's enemy (e.g. India, Israel), the military have spying agencies to follow the political parties.
The basic problem with this country is the feudal system. In 1970 Bengali's challenged the system and when the feudal and military saw that they can’t come up with their forceful solution, they then dissolved the country into two parts in order to save their system. Now in 1980's and 90's the same challenge they are facing with MQM. The middle class is the backbone of any country's economy and Karachi represents the major middle class population.
In short i have following suggestion:
1. Military should not interfere with the political matters otherwise it will face a situation similar to Bangladesh.
2. MQM has the majority and the people vote for MQM, therefore they should be given full control of Sindh's major cities.
3. The centre should not interfere in provincial matters.
4. Abolish feudal system.
John Mcnamara
Washington D.C
USA
I want to comment on the views of Irfan Ahmed about the situation in Karachi. I think it is very wrong to blame Muthahida for all the killings in Karachi. The situation is very complex and many a different groups are involved in the equation. I have asked many residents of Karachi who live in the troubled districts, and they are not sure as to whom to blame. For Mr Irfan to sit in the USA and put the blame on Muthahida is very sad. In my opinion it is not in the interest of Muthahida to continue violence in the city because it is only hurting their image and vote bank and they have to stand in the next elections.
So who is doing all the killings and tortures? Of course the Haqiqi is involved, as it is a band of criminals and was very badly defeated in the last elections. They will get the most benefit from this chaos in breaking the vote bank of Muthahida and decreasing their popularity.
I do not think Muthahda is totally innocent; some of the killings are reactionary and some of them are out of its control. There are many small local gangs who are working independently. And do not forget the agencies, RAW and drug mafia.
Shakeel Kouser
Birmingham Al
USA
Having viewed the feedback from various readers on the above matter, it seems that everyone is more concerned about blaming someone for the problems in Karachi and less concerned about the right solution.
Now I have to agree that it is the government itself and nobody else that is responsible for all the bloodshed. For an ordinary citizen it is a hard case to prove because the judiciary, the armed forces and the intelligence agencies are all part of the problem, after all it’s they and not the people of Karachi who will benefit from a chaotic situation in Karachi. Along with all these elements an added problem is the way media distorts and misrepresents the facts. The financial interests of the media have done very little justice to the people of Karachi.
Mujeeb Sayed
The intelligence agencies are solely responsible for the present situation of Karachi. Intoxicated with power they think that they would be able to subdue the people of Karachi. The problem of Karachi is more of a political nature and administrative. The strong-arm tactics of the agencies would isolate Karachi from the rest of the country.
Given the present circumstances where the country is faced with acute economic problems, what will happen if Karachi comes to a grinding halt just for one week? Russia was a super power. In it are signs for those who can think.
Aazib Jamal
From the get go I had doubts about the
authenticity and sincerity of your own organization in this
regard. You have chosen to print the views of the government and
the people who have not lived in Karachi ever in
their lives including the Nazi descent likes of Muhammad Riyaz
amad Hamidi and Saqib Jang. To me the solutions provided by these
people are only geared towards more bloodshed. And your
inclination
to print them is a testimony that despite your headquarters in
Karachi you are not sincere with the city that gives you your
bread and butter. I know this might be the hardest letter for you
to print and frankly I couldn't care much.
Nasir Shah
Boston , USA
It is purely Punjabi politics that we have been watching since 1947. First of all we saw some disturbances in former East Pakistan and now we are watching the same thing in Karachi through agencies. The actual picture of Karachi can be seen easily if you have a relative in the custody of police or government agencies.
Khalid. Hamidi
Missi, Canada.
In my honest opinion no single person or party is responsible for the prolonged lawlessness in Karachi. The blame goes to all the people living there and the government equally. All of us, in this new age have become self-centred and materialistic. We have lost sight of what is right and what is wrong, and have forgotten what is important to us. As Aamir Hanif said, ‘people become duped by different parties into hating each other and doing absolutely nothing but waiting for a handout, and complaining.’
Almighty Allah gave us all a brain to use. Why can't the people use it and see that they are being used in the most brutal manner? Why can't they see that what they are fighting is not MQM, or Muslim League or any other political party but their own hatred and ignorance! Why can't everyone see that they are turning Karachi into a place so horrific that people are now afraid of it.
Hafsa Hasan
Oshawa Canada.
I strongly believe that the Punjabi chauvinism, which is led by Punjabi forces, is the main reason for this state of lawlessness being faced by the countrymen of the three provinces.
Jumma Khan
Canada
The root cause of all the problems is hypocrites and corrupt bureaucrats in Pakistan. Corruption is so rampant that you can do any crime and then escape by bribing the police. So who would care for the law? We can discuss hours and hours about micro problems but eventually, if there is the corruption the way we have in Pakistan, lawlessness and killings will continue. Karachi is the first only because it was the first in bribery also.
Akhlaq
Sydney
To answer the above question, I firmly believe that the current situation in Karachi has been created by MQM. And Altaf Hussain is personally responsible for it.
The whole philosophy of Mohajirism is wrong. People who migrated from India to Pakistan, though they have a number of similarities with each other, differ from each other more than their similarities. A Mohajir from Behar has nothing in common with a Mohajir from U.P. Similarly a Mohajir from Lukhnao has nothing in common with a Mohajir from Madras. Whereas, as far as the Urdu language is concerned, this language is not the language of Mohajirs only, but is well spoken in Punjab, Sindh, Baluchistan, and NWFP. Thus the Mohajir is not a nation and will never be a nation. By just migrating from one place to another place, these migrated people cannot declare themselves another nation.
I believe that if the current government takes the following initiatives then the situation in Karachi can improve immediately.
1. Shoot-at-sight order for anyone involved in a robbery or car jacking.
2. Anyone found carrying any kind of gun should be given the death sentence.
3. Public hanging should be introduced. In
Islamic law the purpose of punishment is to teach a lesson to
criminals. Hangings in jail do not serve this purpose.
4. In order to bring the situation under control, if a particular sector of a population is involved in crime, it is necessary that the whole sector be dealt with accordingly.
5. Altaf Hussain is the main culprit, and the
steps should be taken to bring him to justice using
all available means. It is necessary that he be eliminated from
the political scene. For a murderer, it is necessary that he pay
the price.
6. The government should keep its promise. I don't know how many times the government has said to use its Iron Hands against the criminals but all these words seem to have no meaning. The situation can't be improved until the government launches a real war against these so-called Mohajirs of Karachi.
Muhammad Riyaz
Virginia USA
Altaf Hussain is the person entirely responsible for the killings in Karachi. He launched MQM on the basis of hatred against other provinces. I think that the army operation was necessary to crush lawlessness created by Altaf Hussain's workers. And most of the people killed in the operation were murderers and killers.
Rizwan Siddique
Chicago, IL
India, government agencies and MQM (both Haqiqi
& Altaf groups) are doing this, because they want
to destroy Pakistan just the way East Pakistan was destroyed.
They want Karachi to be renamed Mohajiristan, which we would
never allow to happen.
Samad . Hamidi
Canada.
If it’s not MQM that is behind the killings in Karachi, then who else is it? If it weren’t they, then why was there a respite till the release of more than 3,000 MQM activists last year? Why are people co-operating with the law-made targets? Why were things under control during Naseerullah Babar’s time?
I'm surprised at the denial among Pakistanis living in America regarding the situation in Karachi. Perhaps there is a feeling that they may still not be beyond the long arm of MQM.
Saqib Jang
Woodside, California, USA
All Pakistani newspapers are to blame for not
only the terrible situation in Karachi but also for making a
nation (over 50 years) corrupt, selfish, illiterate, uncivilised
and uneducated
Sarwar Hashmi, Ph. D.
Piscataway, NJ.
In my opinion all the killings in Karachi are done by agencies. They are trying to hide the real issues from the public or are trying to create a bad image for local government.
Anjum Zia
Toronto Canada
There is enough lawlessness in Karachi for everyone to get a
piece of that pie. I think that the Federal Government, the Local
Government, and the political parties share part of the blame.
Blame must also be shared by the people who are ignorant enough
to get duped by the aforementioned forces into hating one
another, spouting religious propaganda, and doing nothing other
than waiting for a handout.
These are just some of the reasons why Karachi has turned from a very beautiful, productive and prosperous city into the tragedy that it is today.
Aamir Hanif
Des Moines, IA
USA
A few months back, I visited Islamabad and stayed in an area
where most of the "Public Servants" live. Let me tell
you that, you can see, feel and hear from the local residents
that no theft, murder, or such crime can take place there. Why?
Because the high-level government officials live there.
The government is not interested at all in keeping its cities safe. All it cares about is to protect themselves and their families. If the government cannot do its job, it has no right to cash its pay cheques and receive all sorts of privileges.
Syed Naqvi
Michigan
When two elephants are fighting, it is advisable not to come in between them. In Karachi the two elephants are MQM and the army. Both of them are in a state of war since the early '90s. People of Karachi have no place to hide from the clashes that erupt frequently. So in the end they are the biggest losers. In my opinion MQM is 90% responsible for the current situation. The party which wins election with a sweeping majority is unable to control the situation is unbelievable. By just looking at the past performance of this party, one can easily see the incompetence of its leadership to lead the people of Karachi.
I have seen the rise and the fall of MQM, and I can say with full conviction that this party has done nothing substantial to solve the people's misery. In fact its leaders are involved in armed robberies and extortion from the poor people of Karachi, just to raise their party revenue. All this party has proven to the country is that Mohajirs are as corrupt as any other ethnic group.
People say that agencies are responsible for the killings that are going on. I wonder why agencies are concentrating in specific areas of Karachi like Liaquatabad, Malir, Korangi, Landhi, Shah Faisal colony etc. What about Gulshan-e-Iqbal, Bahadurabad, Society, Clifton etc? Why aren’t agencies killing people in these localities? The answer is that the armed goons of MQM have their power base mostly in District Central and District East and most of the clashes are occurring in these regions. It is impossible even to dream about peace in the presence of such notorious elements in Karachi politics. Army and intelligence agencies are just taking advantage of the helplessness of Karachiites.
In my opinion the only way Karachi’s situation can improve is by either dissolving MQM or changing its manifesto which is currently based on racism.
Irfan Ahmed
U.S.A.
Being an American it’s always a difficult thing to keep a track of events in foreign countries, however due to my research on Pakistan, I can safely say that it is the government itself, namely the military and the intelligence agencies of Pakistan that are responsible for every bit of violence in the city of Karachi.
It would be highly unlikely for any native of Karachi to engage in such an activity owing to the lack of any justifiable interests. The only party that benefits from violence in Karachi would be the intelligence agencies and other provinces. The only people to suffer in every aspect would be the natives of Karachi. It is not a difficult thing to understand for us Americans, let alone any Pakistani.
Andrew Gambino Sr
Astoria , NY
As a neutral Pakistani, I have no doubts whatsoever that it is Altaf Hussain and his cronies down the line who are mainly responsible for the Karachi problem. The breakdown of this responsibility can be summarised as:
1- MQM (Altaf Group) = 90%
2- MQM (Afaq Group) = 05%
3- PPP (Benazir Group) = 03%
4- PPP (Murtaza Group) = 02%
All these fascist groups are fighting for their survival, the outcome of which is in front of us.
Syed A. S. Bukhari
U.S.A.
In my opinion all the killings in Karachi are 100% done by government intelligence agencies. The government is only concerned about its seat. The deteriorating economical and social conditions and poor law and order situation don't do any harm to these feudal lords and so-called authorities.
And any one that believes that these killings are the result of clashes between rival political parties in urban Sindh, is living in fool's paradise. If one agrees to my opinion then I am pretty sure that he is also able to understand the evil-minded objective behind all these heinous activities.
Nawaid Isa
Minnesotta
USA
I can tell you who is responsible for all the lawlessness in recent times. All those who do not like Karachi and its people, are responsible for the trouble in Karachi.
Maroof Quraishi
MQM initiated the violence but now it's out of their hands. And now, even Altaf Hussain's own deputies who try to initiate a dialogue for peace, are found murdered. Mr. Altaf must come to Pakistan to help solve this mess. With out his presence, there will not be long lasting peace in Karachi.
A.Z. Malik
Park City KS
In my opinion, the main cause of continuing
murders in Karachi is the illegal immigrants. It would be
worthwhile if a nationality or immigration check is introduced
preferably through the
armed forces. Until this check is completed, no new identity
cards must be issued. I beleive this will alleviate the problem.
Alhaj, Sheikh Muzaffar-uz-Zaman
2-Noor Bawa, Gujranwala, Pakistan.
I am writing in reference to the situation in Karachi. It's a good and perhaps a naive question, that who is responsible for the violence and the law and order situation in Karachi.
Everyone in the Islamic Republic of Pakistan is fully aware of it. Despite all the false pretence given by the media and the government, it is well known that each and every killing in Karachi since 1992 has had direct or indirect involvement of the intelligence services. Now, interestingly enough, your newspaper is the first to opt for the broadcast of government directed news or state instigated news. For a question like that to come from you is highly hypocritical. You know, that nobody else but the agencies have been responsible for each and every murder in Karachi since 1992. Now in doing so, the agencies have overlooked one major factor: the people being exploited and murdered in the process have a better understanding of KGB, CIA, Mosad and Animal Farm by George Orwell.
Nasir Shah
854 , Mulberry Drive
Boston
Have the local goverments restore or hold local
bodies elections at the earliest. Bring Karachi and Hyderabad
under the authority of mayors. All businesses and economics, law
and order will improve. Foreign investors are waiting to invest
only if mayors of these cities are under the authority of the
chief minister/prime minister.
Aijaz H. Ansari
I had lived in Karachi during 1983-88 and
observed myself the problem of lawlessness. I have come to only
one conclusion: The late dictator General Zia-ul-Haq was totally
responsible for the present situation of Karachi. He sowed the
seeds of haterd among different groups of people living
peacefully in Karachi. His only purpose was to strengthen his
rule and divide the nation. This is a sad chapter in our history
but history repeats itself and the consequences of his deeds are
visible everywhere in Pakistan.
James Khan
Calgary, Canada