****It is better to remember that history is not a more ’register' of 'accidents’ that create situations with great potentialities. It follows a track and sometimes repeats most cruelly and vigorously.
SINCE the imposition of Federal rule on the southern province of Pakistan — Sindh, and dismissal of the elected provincial government, as announced by Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif, ominous signals are coming out from that once 'city of lights', now turned into a 'city of violence and terror', and once the capital of Pakistan — Karachi.
The port city of Karachi and now a commercial capital of Pakistan seems to have become a 'ghost' city. The mSsSivt crack-down on the activists of the Muttahida Qaumi Movement (MQM). a Karachi-based political platform of the Urduspeaking minority people who had migrated from India in 1947. following the partition and creation of Pakistan. However, both the main MQM faction, led by its self-exiled leader. Altaf Hussain, now in London, and its splinter group, known as Hakkani group', claim to be fighting for the economic and political rights of the Urdu-speaking minorities in Pakistan. Both the factions were pinpointed by Nawaz Sharif as responsible for killing thousands of innocent people, their latest victim being that well-known philanthropist and former governor of Sindh. Hakim Sayeed.
Only during the current year, over seven hundred people have been killed in Karachi alone. MQM leadership of both groups have promptly denied their involvement in the killing of Hakim Sayeed. On the other hand, they have alleged that
one of their activists had been tortured to death by polite to obtain a confessional statement from him.
Mr Nawaz Sharif has declared that he would be able to establish peace and restore law and order in Karachi within three to six months. Only time Will shoiv hoW far he succeeds in his mission. It must be admitted that the horrible situation obtaining in Karachi for the last one year or so is a glaring example of failure and inefficiency on the part of the gov ernments. both federal and provincial, and their law-enforcing agencies, including para-military forces. leading to the present tragic and deplorable impasse.
What is happening in Karachi is just the tip of the iceberg. The rut' lies much deeper in the body-police of whole of Pakistan centering round the Shia-Sunni controversies and clashes between the two MQM factions.
Karachi's History
Has a Sad Episode
Karachi has its own sad story to tell. A new chapter in Karachi's history began with the establishment of Pakistan. Karachi being the first choice of becoming its capital. Since then it has faced many vicissitudes of time, both sweet and sour.
As an aftermath of partition
of India, in 1947. millions of Muslims migrated to Pakistan as refugees to take shelter in their new born state. The refugees coming from the Punjabi speaking province of India settled down in Punjab of Pakistan. As they spoke the sanje lariguage.'-had same social cus-, toms, they didii t face any problem in inter-mingling with the locals. But it was a different story with the Urdu-speaking refugees who settled in Karachi and some other parts of Sindh. They considered themselves as a separate entity, a compact body and. above all. were in majority in Karachi. They were in a more advantageous position as the first Prime Minister Li-aqat Ali Khan was himself an Urdu-speaking refugee from India. And founder of Pakistan. Mr M A Jinnah who became the first Governor General of Pakistan was also an Urdu-speaking refugee. This was not at all a comfortable situation for these who were dreaming of a different scenario. Both Mr Jinnah and Mr Liaqat seemed to be obstacles in their way.
. However, for them, the deck was cleared with the untimely death of Jinnah within a year of the establishment of Pakistan. coupled with the mysterious assassination of Liaqat al a public meeting in Rawalpindi, in the Punjab. The mystery further deepened when Liaqat’s as-
sassln was killed on the sjxit by a policeman on duty and the death of the investigating officer in a plane crash on a domestic flight. The real drama then started unfolding on the Pakistani political stage one by one..The rest is hislqry,
Shifting of Capital from Karachi
In 1958. Field Marshall Ayub Khan, an ambitious army officer, came to power after a coup and shifting of capital from Karachi to Islamabad in the Punjab was the most countable hall-mark of his regime. And the Urdu-speaking refugees started feeling the pinches and pricks. They were suffering from a sense of deprivation of the wealth they had been enjoying since 1947. They were looking around like so many political orphans', desperately trying to hold on. instead of being thrown over-board.
They seemed to have lost their grip altogether when Pakistan People's Party (PPP), led by Zulfiqar Ali Bhutto appeared to fill in the 'vacuum'. It. however. posed a great potential threat to the ruling clique. And there was a way out.
Birth of MQM and its Fall-out
A new political forum. MQM was born with a vow to protect the political and economic rights of the Urdu-speaking minorities. Some naughty' fellows whisper that it was a brain-child of the Army rulers to serve as a bulwark against growing popularity of PPP. But as the Frankesteines ghost always turns on its creator', the MQM became a challenge to the
ruling party and for those who matter in the corridors of power. So they wanted to cut it to its proper size. A splinter group was created, known as Haqqani Group', pitted against the main MQM faction, led by its leader. Altaf Hussain.. .
T^e purpp^e of 'diyide and , rule’ has been fruitful. The two factions have been fighting with one another like Kilkeny cats to the amazement and enjoyment of its (latter group) authors’. Nawaz Sharifs government has caught them 'red-handed' for their criminal activities. And perhaps they will now he paid back in their own coins. But. unfortunately. Sharif government did not touch the Punjab government which had also miserably failed to stop the chain of murders of Shias and Sunnis by "unidentified gunmen'' throughout the year. Neither the sectarian killings have been stopped, nor the killers could be spotted and brought to book. So the slip is showing.
Insurgency in the Offing?
The most lightning reaction has come from Pakistani opposition leader and former Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto who ’ said that she feared an "insur-§ency" in Karachi as a result of le imposition of direct Federal rule in Sindh, adding, that it was "another attempt to establish dictatorial rule" which, according to her. would be "most unfortunate". Perhaps the violent anti-government demonstrations. launched by MQM. protesting against the crackdown on their activists, and death of one of their 'comrades' in police custody, is the precur-
sor of coming events.
The dark shadows are already visible on the horizon Undoubtedly, the situation is volatile. The hay-stack stands there. A mere match-stick is enough to cause a bonfire. So the Pakistani authorities would have to be doubly sure that they don't commit the most ignoble and disastrous blunder.
What is happening in Karachi is not an isolated event. Rather it is a part and parcel of a larger scenario cov-. ering whole of Pakistan. It shouldn't therefore, be treated as a mere law and order situation. They would have to go deeper to remove the 'roots' of discontent and resentment of the people in Karachi and other cities. Instead of blaming other countries for their 'mischievous' hands in the prevailing terrorism' in Karachi and elsewhere, they will have put their own house in order.
As they say. 'the bread never falls but on its buttered side.' The unfortunate event has happened with Karachi. The federal government can't just shun its responsibility of the routine killings and murders that have gripped not only Karachi, but other cities of Pakistan. whether in Shia-Sunni sectarian feud or fighting between two factions of MQM. The hit-men are ruling the roost under the very nose of the law enforcing agencies. Hence, mere 'first -aid' to the deceased' won’t help. The "physicians" will have to "heal thyself". Otherwise. the "rut" would corrode further.
It is better to remember that history is not a more 'register' of "accidents' that create situations with great potentialities. It follows a track and sometimes repeats most cruelly and vigorously. Hence a word for the wise is enough. They shouldn't throw the baby with the bathwater.