What Karachi Really Needs

By Amir Zia
The News
January 22, 2011

The pressure of living in Karachi can only be understood by ordinary residents

The government has again started to talk tough in the wake of unabated politically motivated killings and the surging crime rate in the country’s commercial hub, Karachi. But despite all the half-baked plans and a stream of statements issued by senior government officials for tackling Karachi’s law and order challenge, there appears more confusion than clarity about the direction of these efforts.

The paramilitary Rangers, backed by helicopters, have already been seen in action in parts of Orangi Town, in which more than 300 people were rounded-up. How many of them were criminals and assassins is a question that remains to be answered. And it is not just the effectiveness of this much-publicised operation that is being questioned. It has become controversial because of the very fact that both Interior Minister Rehman Malik and Sindh home minister Zulfiqar Mirza claimed in separate statements that they were unaware of this crackdown. This shows that various arms of government and state institutions have not yet built a consensus and worked out a viable strategy on Karachi’s security problem.

The barrage of tough official statements appear more a knee-jerk reaction and crude devices aimed at playing to the gallery in the wake of continuing political violence and street crimes, which according to media reports claimed more than 60 lives in the first 20 days of January.

Out of these 60 victims, around 20 were workers and supporters of different political parties, and one was a policeman. The rest were ordinary citizens, including a journalist, who were not part of any conflict or organised rivalry. Some of them were killed by bandits in robberies. The motives behind the majority of these murders have yet to be known. They were just killed. Snipers, gunmen on motorcycles, bandits, extortionists and cold-blooded assassins – who first torture their victims before shooting them dead – all have been let loose in this city. They kill and flee. Hardly any of them is ever arrested and, even if nabbed, manages to wriggle out of the so-called long-arm of the law – thanks to a weak prosecution and inefficient and corrupt legal system.

Yes, it is normal for killers to roam freely in this city.

The pressure of living in Karachi can only be understood by ordinary residents. From petty street criminals, extortionists and of goons belonging to the drug, land and transport mafias to that of workers belonging to key political parties and the personnel of law enforcement agencies – all seek their pound of flesh in this city. As government functionaries try to stay safe surrounded by armed guards, pickets, high walls and impressive cavalcades, a constant fear lurks in the minds of a vast number of dwellers of this city all the time. One has to live it to feel the insecurities of life in Karachi. Getting suddenly caught in a cross-fire between rival groups, being kidnapped for ransom, held and looted at gun point or simply falling to a stray bullet – all remain probable scenarios of Karachi life.

The number of violent deaths tell Karachi’s grim story. In 2010, according to the Human Rights Commission of Pakistan, 748 people lost their lives, which in journalistic jargon is called “targeted killings.” Out of them 447, got killed in politically or religiously motivated violence, while the remaining 301 were ordinary citizens. In 2009, the figure of targeted killings was 242 – which itself is no small number.

As authorities again plan for house-to-house search operations, aerial surveillance, snap checking of vehicles and imposition of mini-curfew in volatile neighbourhoods, one wonders what new and different approach is being applied to establish the writ of law in this teeming city. While the print and electronic media are building a hype of the operation, political parties remain at loggerheads, blaming one another for the crisis and making demands that can at best be called self-serving and aimed at damaging the rival rather than finding a solution to Karachi’s law and order problem. From the demand for a military operation in Karachi to that of getting the city rid of weapons – all these have been tried and tested in the past, but failed to bring peace. Apart from dramatic public posturing and lip-service to the cause of peace, the authorities have offered nothing but ad hoc and fire-fighting measures. And that too aimed more at appeasing this or that political or interest group than tackling terrorists and criminals.

The main conceptual flaw of the Pakistan People’s Party-led coalition government and its predecessors has been the approach that peace in the city is a mere question of an operation or a crackdown.

The operation-based approach remains flawed because it fails to tackle the law and order problem of Karachi in a holistic manner. An operation or crackdown in its essence is for a brief period – a few hours, a day, a week, a month, a year, two-years or even more. It has to end after achieving limited objectives, but ensuring rule of law and writ of the state remains a 365-day job, every year, not just in Karachi, but each and every part of Pakistan. It is akin to the irritating hafta-e-safai or week-long cleanness drive, after which in the remaining 51 weeks, it is the business of filth as usual.

If the government is sincere about peace in Karachi, it has to get out of the operation mindset and focus on basics that start with reforming and depoliticising the police. The culture of political pressure, political appointments, selective justice and corruption needs to be eradicated from the police force. The city needs a professional and independent police, whose top officers get appointed on fixed terms and remain accountable to institutions rather than be at the mercy of unscrupulous politicians.

Today, the police in Karachi remain unable even to implement traffic rules, let alone confronting the political and criminals mafias. Indeed, the foremost challenge for the government, if it wants to match words with action, is to empower the police so that it can do its job.

However, arresting criminals and terrorists is only one part of the challenge. The important question remains, what happens after they are caught. A vast number of accused, involved in heinous crimes, manage to get free through courts on lack of evidence and weak prosecution. Therefore, strengthening the investigation and prosecution system should also be among top priorities.

There also remains a need for reforming the judicial system and, if necessary the relevant laws, because of which cases remain pending for years. The cases of hardened criminals and terrorists need to be decided on a fast track – not months, but weeks.

For major political parties, it is a time for some serious self-criticism and rethinking. If they want peace and rule of law, they have to stop patronising criminals, extortionists, and terrorists. The politics of expediency must be replaced by the politics for rule of law, fair play and justice. These could be the first few small steps for peace in Karachi, but do the people at the helm of affairs knows what is required of them.