Karachi Carnage

Not a day passes when at least a dozen or more of innocent lives are not lost in Karachi. Today, by the time of writing this letter, the score was 32 . Thirty Two families deprived of the bread earners and  destroyed in just one day !!  Could there be anything more catastrophic than it, just ask the widows and the children of the affected families?  What is more alarming is that such wanton killing is now taking the form of organised gang war which will result in still more deaths. Whatever the politicians of various shades may say, the fact remains that the government of the Sindh has badly failed in maintaining law and order in the city and cannot ensure safety of life and property in Karachi.  It is an open secret now that the killers are from land mafia, arms mafia, drug mafia and bhatta mafia, each one having the patronage of one or the other political party. So has the Karachi police been entirely politicised and rendered completely ineffective.  On the top of it both the Federal Minister of Interior and the Home Minister of the Province look to be totally non serious in restoring law and order by making comical statements.  While the one attributes 70% of the killing to the wives and girl friends of the victims the other keeps literally dreaming about the various options that he should adopt.  It is not understood as to why such an incompetent government  that has totally failed in its prime and foremost duty of protecting the life and property of the people is not dismissed and the Governor’s rule imposed straight away.  Since it is clearly beyond the police and to some degree Rangers as well, army must  be called in immediately to restore law and order. As the army would the last hope it must not fail as a deterrent. Therefore, it must be given a free hand and full judicial powers of holding Summary Military Courts for speedy trials and expeditious dispensation of justice.  People expect the President to take immediate notice of the situation and impose Governor’s rule in the province.  Is the safety of life and property of the people more important or the political considerations of making and breaking the coalition partners and devising the strategy for the future elections ?

Col. Riaz Jafri (Retd)