Karachi killings

The fragile peace that had held out in Karachi for several months has been shattered once more. The orgy of ethnic killings that began with an attack on a North Karachi neighbourhood has now claimed over 30 lives. The tensions were continuing into Thursday, despite shoot-on-sight orders from the PM and the deployment of police and Rangers across the city. The new round of violence will, of course, also take a toll on business confidence – at a time when the Karachi Stock Exchange had begun a recovery from its dismal decline over much of the past year. Political parties have all condemned the violence. But they need to do more. All major groups need to sit together and work out a strategy that can prevent such descent into madness at periodic intervals. Activists on the ground, supporters and community leaders all need to be involved in this. We must, in Karachi, a city made up of many diverse groups, get over the parochialism and narrow racism that inspires the kind of ethnic hatred we see now. This is especially important as the latest murders, the burials that follow and the long grieving in so many homes will inevitably inspire only more feelings of ill will. Such sentiments need to be overcome by building in Karachi a spirit of community that crosses line of language and belief. The task is not an easy one. For too many years now we have seen Karachi erupt with terrible anger. In many cases such episodes seem to have been deliberately incited. Everyone with influence within the country's largest city must be called upon to ensure such provocation does not take place.

The government – at both the federal and provincial level – needs to carefully consider strategy. On a short term basis we need to persuade all the stakeholders to sit together and make a commitment to peace. On a longer-term basis, we need to do more. Tolerance must be built within the city – through a wide set of strategies. As in other urban centres around the world, the creation of localities – in some cases ghettoes dominated by a specific ethnic group – is a factor in the violence. Perhaps there is a need to think along the line of more innovative housing and employment schemes that can help break up this communal isolation. To do so, those in powerful places who seek to rule by dividing people will also need to be tackled. The task is a demanding one. For over two decades now, peace in Karachi has remained elusive. But full attention must be given to changing this. We cannot afford a situation where the city's principal commercial centre becomes periodically paralyzed by bloodshed that takes people off streets and forces offices, schools and colleges to close. Such a situation is simply untenable. Resolving the communal issues of Karachi must therefore become a priority for everyone who can play a part in this in any way. There is no other alternative.