Karachi: No more ‘city of lights’

Karachi, the business capital of Pakistan, is bleeding. The city was once famously known as the “City of Lights” because of its vibrancy and status as one of the largest metropolitan cities in the world. Unfortunately, the city has failed to keep up with its past glory and gained an infamous reputation in the world due to its ongoing streak of violence.
The violence, based mainly on sectarian and political grounds, in many ways reflects the state of security in Pakistan’s urban centers. As Karachi is the largest city of Pakistan, the government of Pakistan has shown its seriousness in resolving the current pathetic state of affairs. The situation in Karachi is being reviewed on an urgent basis as a national security issue that threatens the integrity of the state.
To understand the complex political and security situation on ground, it is important to know that Karachi is home to over 10 million inhabitants from all over Pakistan. Millions of people from other cities of the country have flocked to Karachi to benefit from diverse opportunities in business and employment.
Normality in Karachi directly translates into greater foreign investment and economic opportunities in Pakistan. As ethnic values and identity remain important in Pakistani culture, each ethnic group is represented by a strong political party that has established its stronghold in the city.
The MQM, led by London-based Altaf Hussain, remains the most popular party in the city. Further, some politically backed groups have formed no-go areas in older parts of the city. In recent years, Karachi has slipped into a state of anarchy and targeted killings, kidnapping, extortions and other criminal activities, have become a norm in the city.
Under these circumstances, Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif has recently made efforts to chalk out a government response to the unabated acts of violence in the city.
After closely monitoring the security situation of city, the government may announce a targeted army operation in Karachi to cleanse it from such hubs of criminal activities. However, many segments of the society remain skeptical about government promises to establish peace in the city. Historical references are provided as proof that an army operation may target certain political forces, which may spark a fresh wave of violence in the city.
The government should try to weed out root causes of violence in the metropolis by bringing a systematic change in the functioning of the state. Almost all major political parties are known to harbor militant wings, which have been linked to killings and extortion rackets in the city. Further, the law enforcement agencies remain highly ill equipped, corrupt and politicized to adequately handle the worsening situation on ground. As a testament of their poor performance, almost 1,900 lives have already been lost to targeted attacks in the first eight months of the current year in Karachi. It is high time that the government launches an even-handed action against all criminal elements in the city. The security situation in Karachi again highlights the need for government to draft a national security police. Sectarian violence in the city has been linked to groups that have ties with militant outfits, like Lashkar-i-Jhangvi and Tehreek-i-Taleban Pakistan.
However, the government must win over the confidence of all major political forces before taking any action on the security situation in Karachi. By gaining unequivocal support of political groups, the government will be in a better position to return Karachi to its lost glory.