Karachi killings

Questions over what the priorities of NAP in Karachi are were raised once again after a spate of apparently sectarian killings hit the city. On Friday, three members and two apparent sympathisers of the ASWJ – a banned sectarian organisation – were shot dead within half an hour in two separate incidents. These killings came a week after five members of the Shia community were shot dead at a religious event. Law enforcement seemed to make little progress in connection with the incident. However, following Friday’s murders both the police and the Rangers were immediately spurred into action, arresting ex-PPP senator Raza Abidi. The politics of Karachi is uniquely conducive to aggravating ethnic and sectarian tensions. That the groups here are all armed to the teeth acts as a multiplier. Thus, when there are incidents of target killings, the toxic brew of turf politics and sectarianism comes to boil. In the matter of Abidi’s arrest, it is unclear what kind of connection has been established by the security outfits involved, but in this case quite a few have found the high-profile arrest a bit strange only a day after the incidents. The ASWJ is itself a banned extremist organisation that nonetheless is able to hold rallies openly and even contest elections.

It is not just about impressions. The Sindh government has refused to name the 93 madressahs it has put on the terrorism watch list as madressah representative bodies have begun to exert pressure on the government to stop ‘intrusion’ in their affairs. By not naming the madressahs under suspicion, it has opened itself to criticism from both religious groups and the broader citizenry. The Sindh government had recently warned that militant groups are closely tied to many madressahs and use them for fresh recruits. It has a responsibility to ensure that madressahs are only being used to impart education, and not to instil hate. The responsibility of tackling sectarianism extends to the law-enforcement authorities too. When the Rangers-led operation began, it was also targeting the TTP and other militant groups but now it seems to be focusing almost exclusively on the political parties in the city. While getting these parties to change their violent ways is important, so too is putting an end to sectarian violence. Militant groups which have been banned should not be permitted to operate so openly and their well of recruits has to be dried up. This is a question both of political and law-enforcement will with the government working hand-in-hand with the Rangers before more needless blood is shed. This must be done if Karachi is to avoid becoming the heart of sectarian strife in the country once again like the 1990s. If one looks at the increasing number of attacks and counter-attacks, this is a real possibility.