The Battle for Karachi
Wherever people of different races, religions, sects and political persuasion, etc make up the population of a major metropolitan city, there is always a struggle for dominance, the pursuit of power and the sharing of the economic pie making for strange bedfellows. Given Karachi’s major port city status and commercial capital importance, the competition is more intense and focussed. To compound the problems, this a city bereft of the healing balm of democracy. Not a single town or city in Pakistan has a local government, for that matter the whole country is without local government since the PML(N) government fell two years ago. The ruling PPP got a drubbing in the last general polls in almost all the urban areas of the country and is now unsure of itself in the rural areas, consequently it does not seem to have any intention of letting the Opposition exercise their democratic right of rule at the local government level. This is in sharp contrast to the eloquent rhetoric about “democracy at the grassroots level” that Ms Benazir is so vociferous about, particularly when she is out of power. The logic being used to deny power to the Mohajir majority in Karachi is that if the majority got power they would deny the various minorities their legitimate socio-economic rights. This convoluted logic chooses to remain silent about the present situation in which power keeps going the rounds within a tight circle of vested interest who deny the majority their democratic due but say that this is on behalf of the minority communities, who in fact are as much deprived as the majority. Given that all this defies rational analysis, how do we as a city and as a nation climb out of this black hole?
On paper at least the struggle has presently turned from the killing streets to the negotiating table. The two main antagonists, the MQM(A) and the PPP, having consented to a ceasefire of sorts, this arrangement seems to have filtered down selectively to the warriors belonging to the law enforcement agencies or to the various militant groups, granted that RAW-inspired violence will continue to sabotage any peace moves. The body count has come down to 10-12 daily and even lower, climbing briefly for a day to 25 plus. That the talks are continuing despite the vitriolic statements from both sides is a hopeful sign that tacitly recognizes pressure to sort out the issues or risk being sorted out themselves. Having drained this city of its material and emotional resources, there is no sign among the militants on either side of any combat fatigue. The great silent majority of Karachi’s population meantime lives on in deep anxiety and apprehension, not free of the considerable doubt about the city’s continued existence as a viable entity. The bottom line is, can our children plan to live in this city in the future? For many Karachi is the end of the line, having burnt all our boats our backs are to the sea facing a nemesis born out of our leaders’ vulnerability to greed and ambition. Unfortunately for this country nobody has really answered the question, who is this enemy?.
Any metropolitan city in the world needs a system, at present Karachi hasn’t got one because it suits vested political interests to run the city by remote control from Islamabad. The implementation of a comprehensive package of political, administrative and socio-economic reforms that are vitally necessary to resuscitate this dying metropolis of 10 million plus is overdue but how can this be done without a single local authority coordinating things? In military terms, Karachi is vital ground in the national context, Pakistan’s economic survival depends upon peace and harmony in this city. Without a unified command structure, this city is doomed.
We have repeatedly said that to restore peace in Karachi, we must have immediate Local Bodies elections, the dangerous vacuum of leadership at the grassroots level needs to be overcome. Any reform attempted without a local body structure having the peoples confidence will never filter through to the populace or be accepted by it. The leadership derived from the legitimacy of the gun barrel will take over completely, society will disintegrate so that only the language of bullets will be understood. Karachi’s civic agencies must be consolidated under one Administrator or Commissioner or Lieutenant Governor or whatever (to be appointed for a fixed period of 1-2 years) but to be replaced later by a directly elected person who acts as a single clearing house for coordination and decision-making. The present selfish policy is political expediency that may facilitate PPP’s rule but it is constitutionally irresponsible and is a sure recipe for disaster as it negates the concept of accepting responsibility that devolves in any democracy upon the rulers on assuming their seats of authority. By depriving the masses of their elected local representatives, the transfer of power to the electorate as per the 1993 mandate is not complete. Since offence is the best defence the PM tends to fly off the handle whenever asked as to who is incharge of Karachi but her contention that the Governor or the Chief Minister is in charge of the City is regretfully incorrect and untenable as that is not their job, at least according to the Constitution that she readily refers to. The elected Chief Minister is the Chief Executive of the Province while the Governor is the titular Head. Pending Local Bodies election she should appoint a politically acceptable person of integrity as the Administrator of Karachi. Some of the agencies used for the remote control operations may even have turned rogue, having different aims and objectives to the supreme national interest. Can any person with any conscience give a coherent answer to the question, why this remote control? And at what cost?
The MQM(A) gave 18 points, the Government responded by giving 21 demands. Lt Gen (Retd) Hameed Gul has a 5-point agenda to which he seems to have got tacit approval from the PM before meeting Altaf Hussain in London. To restore peace in Karachi, the MQM(A) delegation to the peace talks has now given over a list of 4 points in secret to the government side to consider. In a cauldron where guns and rockets proliferate in the hands of the thousands, restoring the mandate of the people to representatives elected by them is easier said than done. The MQM(A) will have to reciprocate in order to create a suitable environment mainly by calling in its militants from the streets with the knowledge that they may well not respond to such summons. In the greater interest of the majority Altaf Hussain is faced with Hobson’s Choice, for MQM to turn their back on the gunmen who have kept the movement alive would indeed be difficult. Much blood having been spilled in the streets some of the militants have gone beyond the pale, being MQM(A) supporters on pro-forma basis only. Independently they may have gone into business on their own, i.e. turning to violent crime for their own greed. Some of them were criminals already before turning to political action. RAW has infiltrated the ranks of the militants and these few will also not respond to reason, the well-documented example of Sri Lanka is before us. This is the recurring tragedy of all militancy, in the name of freedom militancy is a licence for urban terrorism that usually runs out of control while getting a life of its own. In such circumstances society has no choice but to hunt them down and eradicate them at source. The MQM(A) must take steps without delay to redeem its street fighters or they will be lost forever, for many of them it is already too late.
On the road to restoring peace in Karachi one must also clearly spell out who is in charge of restoring law and order in this city. For all intent and purposes the government propaganda machinery will have us believe that the DG Rangers (Sindh) Maj Gen Mushtaq is the man in charge of restoring peace to Karachi. The Rangers may have been in the forefront of fighting militancy (when not instigating reaction by their actions), the DG Rangers is essentially a toothless tiger in the presence of the IG Police Sindh. The DIG Police Karachi and his SSPs report directly to the IG Police Sindh. According to the given concept of command and control principles, all LEAs should really be reporting to Mushtaq or conversely Mushtaq should be reporting along with the other LEAs to IG Sindh or whoever is the person in charge. Does Mushtaq have access to fresh information from the Intelligence Bureau (IB) or any control over their activities? Widely believed to have now been adopted by the IB as foster-children, the MQM (Haqiqi) was created by the ISI in 1991/1992 out of MQM dissidents, it is rumoured that their present masters find it expedient in letting them run wild. For that matter what about the ISI and MI detachments in Karachi, does Mushtaq have access to their fresh hard information directly or does it come back filtered and useless with respect to the crucial matter of time? It is patently unfair to take a professional soldier and give him ambiguous instructions in aid to civil power while putting him under many bosses and giving him uneven support from those agencies whose information is vital to the fulfilment of his mission. Professional soldiers are trained to defend the nation, it is also unfair to provoke their ambitions and as such coerce them to try and conquer their own country on the strength of greed, ambition and 10 acres in Safura Goth. Furthermore, the attempt to create another Federal Security Force (FSF) type-entity on the sly was pathetic and deserves contempt as it negates the concept of democracy which we glibly spout forth on every occasion. The lesson one learns is that the cardinal principle of a single command and control channel must be clearly defined and unambiguous as must be the statement of the MISSION, with all information concerning law and order available to Mushtaq fresh and without doctoring, in turn Mushtaq should report through the Administrator to the Chief Minister, or in case of Governor’s rule, to the Governor. Mushtaq has been operating for the last six months blindfolded with one hand tied behind his back with political cheerleaders with vested interests exhorting him from the safety of Islamabad to exterminate all those considered “enemies” (or rats, depending upon one’s preference as to the use of correct terminology).
For those who think that peace will be restored to Karachi all of a sudden are mistaken. The hard task of clearing terrorists will be that of the LEAs. Give Gen Babar credit in disrupting the terrorists’ communications channels by closing down cellular phones, pagers and some captive radios from civic agencies and as a consequence having some success in interdiction but it will not take the terrorists long to re-build the command and communications structure. The battle for Karachi will not be over even if peace breaks out as the struggle against urban guerrilla warfare will continue for some time. Success will depend upon an integrated civilian administrative structure where the LEAs are focussed on criminal activity, not political action. The battle for Karachi cannot be won in geographical or material terms. The final struggle is for the heart and soul of this great city and this will be irretrievably lost unless those concerned with law enforcement exercise fair-play in the performance of their duties under the Constitution, all men (and women) being created equal.
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