By Amir Zia
July 28, 2014
The News
You talk to the elected representatives of the leading political parties and they will be quick to distance themselves from any forced fund collection...You talk to the police and they will tell you that they are hostage to their provincial political bosses
There is no intimidating message written on the small donation receipts being distributed among shopkeepers of an apparent safe and upscale neighbourhood of Karachi during the closing days of the holy month of Ramazan.
The receipt carries the name, insignia, address and telephone numbers of the social service wing of a leading political party on one side, while on the other side there are names and telephone numbers of more than a dozen social services offered by the party. And yes, it also says ‘Rs100 accepted with thanks’ on account of ‘Fitra’ 2014 in Urdu.
Yet, many shopkeepers say they feel vulnerable the moment a group of five to six young men enter their shops carrying the receipt books – a couple of them openly brandishing pistols in their hands. But that does not mean that these party activists are in any way impolite or ill-mannered – at least in this particular neighbourhood. They are our typical Karachi boys belonging to the middle and lower middle class, some even holding college degrees.
The group leader – let’s call him ‘bhai’ (brother) – does all the talking. Under normal circumstances, he will casually place his pistol on the counter, ask about the wellbeing of the shopkeeper and then get on to business… how many receipts of Rs100 each would the shopkeeper like to have? There is some polite haggling and finally the two sides reach an understanding.
In terms of judging the shop’s turnover, these youngsters appear to do a better job than our tax officials. They slap a mandatory ‘donation’ – sometimes as modest as Rs300 on a small shop to several thousand rupees on the ones whose business they see is booming.
In the crime-infested, violence-hit and lawless city of Karachi, this kind of donation-collection is not even news anymore. Many shopkeepers, businesspeople, traders, industrialists, and professionals silently give their due share in the ‘good cause’ of this or that political or religious party and move on with their lives.
This is the story of not just one or two neighbourhoods, but most parts of the city. At some places, donations are collected with the blatant display of force, while at others in a bit more subtle manner.
There is no point in reporting this forced ‘donation collection’ to the police or registering a complaint with the high-ups of the party as it just exposes the complainant and puts his life and property at graver risk. The sensible course is to part away with a few hundred or thousand rupees and try to live happily after.
But dear reader, please do not confuse this religiously-motivated donation collection during Ramazan with that of the routine extortion that goes on in Karachi unabated all through the year and hits headlines on and off.
The holy month of Ramazan, indeed, has a special significance because of the enormous amount of money distributed by many devout and even not so devout Muslims on account of Zakat and Fitra. And all our political and religious parties, independent social work organisations, seminaries and even crime mafias prepare in advance to make the best of this holy month and raise as much money as they can.
Just the amount of annual fitra, according to rough estimates, is close to a billion. The donations collected in the name of Zakat are much higher. But let’s admit that all these figures are guesstimates.
Each party raises funds according to its size, clout and the number of armed activists at its disposal. The bigger and more organised a party, the heftier are its financial gains and stakes in this megacity. These activists operate in most parts of the city with impunity – be it the posh and so-called peaceful neighbourhoods to middle and low income group localities. The commercial areas remain the prime targets of this Ramazan fund-raising.
If anyone has a misconception that the ongoing operation against extortionists, criminals and terrorists has made the city a little safe it is time for a reality check. The much-propagated operation that started last September lost steam quite some time back, amidst politically motivated transfers and posting of police officials by the Sindh provincial government. All the statements of Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif – of making Karachi safe – and his meetings with the provincial political bosses to achieve this goal have failed to do the trick.
All the major stakeholders in this city have successfully managed to thwart whatever little efforts were being made to establish rule of law here. They are all part of the problem as the prevailing state of lawlessness and organised crime and violence seems to serve their massive financial interests.
The forced donation collection during Ramazan is just a tiny problem in the overall grave law and order situation of the city. Our proverbial common man fails to make himself heard because all the cards are decked against him in this corrupt and crime-ridden political system.
The frequent protests and lobbying by powerful associations of traders, businesspeople and industrialists of Karachi have also failed to make any impact. They continue to remain the prime target of not just extortion but also kidnapping for ransom. In recent months, more than 20 Karachi businessmen have been kidnapped. Some of them returned after paying Rs10 to Rs15 million ransom amounts. Many try to handle these challenges on their own rather than going to the police. When they even refrain from reporting grave crimes, there is hardly a question of going to the police for relatively smaller ones such as giving donation to political or religious parties under duress.
Since the country’s return to true democracy in 2008, we have been hearing the same kinds of claims and promises of stern action against lawbreakers by those at the helm of the affairs, but nothing has changed on the ground. The notorious and much-dreaded receipt or ‘parchi’ as it is called in common lingo continues to haunt people belonging to every class, ethnic or sectarian group.
You talk to the elected representatives of the leading political parties and they will be quick to distance themselves from any forced fund collection. You will hear the same old excuses that the esteemed name of their party is being misused and they are ready to take action if their members are found involved in any such anti-people activity. You talk to the police and they will tell you that they are hostage to their provincial political bosses, who are more focused on transforming space allocated for parks into commercial plots and protecting their criminal dons and militants rather than fighting crime and criminals.
No wonder Karachi remains one of the most dangerous mega-cities of the world. No wonder that many people are shifting their businesses to other cities within the country and even moving abroad. No wonder law abiding citizens feel defenceless and threatened here. And no wonder the politically-connected criminals and terrorists operate in such a brazen manner.
It is nothing but the resilience of Karachiites and their never-say-die attitude that keep the city going. They have learnt to live as normally as possible in the extremely abnormal and dangerous environment. After every trauma, after every fresh big or small wound, the city manages to bounce back.
But can this perpetual lawlessness go on forever? How long one can bank on the hardiness of Karachiites alone to keep the city going? The city has all the explosive ingredients and contradictions that can push it into anarchy and chaos.
This dysfunctional provincial government neither has the political will nor the ability to bring peace and establish rule of law in Karachi. The Herculean task of restoring order in the city can only start by holding the rulers accountable. How that can be done in a democratic manner is the real question.
July 28, 2014
The News
You talk to the elected representatives of the leading political parties and they will be quick to distance themselves from any forced fund collection...You talk to the police and they will tell you that they are hostage to their provincial political bosses
There is no intimidating message written on the small donation receipts being distributed among shopkeepers of an apparent safe and upscale neighbourhood of Karachi during the closing days of the holy month of Ramazan.
The receipt carries the name, insignia, address and telephone numbers of the social service wing of a leading political party on one side, while on the other side there are names and telephone numbers of more than a dozen social services offered by the party. And yes, it also says ‘Rs100 accepted with thanks’ on account of ‘Fitra’ 2014 in Urdu.
Yet, many shopkeepers say they feel vulnerable the moment a group of five to six young men enter their shops carrying the receipt books – a couple of them openly brandishing pistols in their hands. But that does not mean that these party activists are in any way impolite or ill-mannered – at least in this particular neighbourhood. They are our typical Karachi boys belonging to the middle and lower middle class, some even holding college degrees.
The group leader – let’s call him ‘bhai’ (brother) – does all the talking. Under normal circumstances, he will casually place his pistol on the counter, ask about the wellbeing of the shopkeeper and then get on to business… how many receipts of Rs100 each would the shopkeeper like to have? There is some polite haggling and finally the two sides reach an understanding.
In terms of judging the shop’s turnover, these youngsters appear to do a better job than our tax officials. They slap a mandatory ‘donation’ – sometimes as modest as Rs300 on a small shop to several thousand rupees on the ones whose business they see is booming.
In the crime-infested, violence-hit and lawless city of Karachi, this kind of donation-collection is not even news anymore. Many shopkeepers, businesspeople, traders, industrialists, and professionals silently give their due share in the ‘good cause’ of this or that political or religious party and move on with their lives.
This is the story of not just one or two neighbourhoods, but most parts of the city. At some places, donations are collected with the blatant display of force, while at others in a bit more subtle manner.
There is no point in reporting this forced ‘donation collection’ to the police or registering a complaint with the high-ups of the party as it just exposes the complainant and puts his life and property at graver risk. The sensible course is to part away with a few hundred or thousand rupees and try to live happily after.
But dear reader, please do not confuse this religiously-motivated donation collection during Ramazan with that of the routine extortion that goes on in Karachi unabated all through the year and hits headlines on and off.
The holy month of Ramazan, indeed, has a special significance because of the enormous amount of money distributed by many devout and even not so devout Muslims on account of Zakat and Fitra. And all our political and religious parties, independent social work organisations, seminaries and even crime mafias prepare in advance to make the best of this holy month and raise as much money as they can.
Just the amount of annual fitra, according to rough estimates, is close to a billion. The donations collected in the name of Zakat are much higher. But let’s admit that all these figures are guesstimates.
Each party raises funds according to its size, clout and the number of armed activists at its disposal. The bigger and more organised a party, the heftier are its financial gains and stakes in this megacity. These activists operate in most parts of the city with impunity – be it the posh and so-called peaceful neighbourhoods to middle and low income group localities. The commercial areas remain the prime targets of this Ramazan fund-raising.
If anyone has a misconception that the ongoing operation against extortionists, criminals and terrorists has made the city a little safe it is time for a reality check. The much-propagated operation that started last September lost steam quite some time back, amidst politically motivated transfers and posting of police officials by the Sindh provincial government. All the statements of Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif – of making Karachi safe – and his meetings with the provincial political bosses to achieve this goal have failed to do the trick.
All the major stakeholders in this city have successfully managed to thwart whatever little efforts were being made to establish rule of law here. They are all part of the problem as the prevailing state of lawlessness and organised crime and violence seems to serve their massive financial interests.
The forced donation collection during Ramazan is just a tiny problem in the overall grave law and order situation of the city. Our proverbial common man fails to make himself heard because all the cards are decked against him in this corrupt and crime-ridden political system.
The frequent protests and lobbying by powerful associations of traders, businesspeople and industrialists of Karachi have also failed to make any impact. They continue to remain the prime target of not just extortion but also kidnapping for ransom. In recent months, more than 20 Karachi businessmen have been kidnapped. Some of them returned after paying Rs10 to Rs15 million ransom amounts. Many try to handle these challenges on their own rather than going to the police. When they even refrain from reporting grave crimes, there is hardly a question of going to the police for relatively smaller ones such as giving donation to political or religious parties under duress.
Since the country’s return to true democracy in 2008, we have been hearing the same kinds of claims and promises of stern action against lawbreakers by those at the helm of the affairs, but nothing has changed on the ground. The notorious and much-dreaded receipt or ‘parchi’ as it is called in common lingo continues to haunt people belonging to every class, ethnic or sectarian group.
You talk to the elected representatives of the leading political parties and they will be quick to distance themselves from any forced fund collection. You will hear the same old excuses that the esteemed name of their party is being misused and they are ready to take action if their members are found involved in any such anti-people activity. You talk to the police and they will tell you that they are hostage to their provincial political bosses, who are more focused on transforming space allocated for parks into commercial plots and protecting their criminal dons and militants rather than fighting crime and criminals.
No wonder Karachi remains one of the most dangerous mega-cities of the world. No wonder that many people are shifting their businesses to other cities within the country and even moving abroad. No wonder law abiding citizens feel defenceless and threatened here. And no wonder the politically-connected criminals and terrorists operate in such a brazen manner.
It is nothing but the resilience of Karachiites and their never-say-die attitude that keep the city going. They have learnt to live as normally as possible in the extremely abnormal and dangerous environment. After every trauma, after every fresh big or small wound, the city manages to bounce back.
But can this perpetual lawlessness go on forever? How long one can bank on the hardiness of Karachiites alone to keep the city going? The city has all the explosive ingredients and contradictions that can push it into anarchy and chaos.
This dysfunctional provincial government neither has the political will nor the ability to bring peace and establish rule of law in Karachi. The Herculean task of restoring order in the city can only start by holding the rulers accountable. How that can be done in a democratic manner is the real question.
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