Lawful business

In Karachi for the inauguration of the 9th Expo exhibition, organised to promote trade, Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif has said that establishing peace in Karachi is essential for the sake of both the economy and the lives of people. He also committed that his government would turn Karachi into a centre of peace through policies aimed to curb the lawlessness that has haunted the city for decades. Sharif made it clear that guns would be permitted only in the hands of state forces, both military and civilian, and not anyone else. If he can indeed succeed in removing the enormous number of illegal arms within our society, this would be a critical step towards improving law and order. The gang culture and rampant crime in Karachi, as well as militancy, is of course buoyed by the presence of arms in the hands of so many. The prime minister is also quite correct when he says the actions in Karachi should have begun five years ago. The truth is that they should have begun even sooner.
But, the fact is that we now live with a particular reality. It is imperative that we change it in order to prevent our largest city and commercial centre from falling into still greater ruin. What happens in Karachi of course influences much of what goes on in the rest of the country. While the prime minister emphasised that both law and order and the economy had improved, and that this was evidenced by the large number of exhibiters from other countries present at Expo Pakistan 2015, it is true also that trade is being held back by the lawlessness in the country. Foreign businesses, and even local investors, are reluctant to put money into a country seen as being so unstable and so prone to calamitous events of various kinds. The fact that Karachi is regarded as a ‘no-go’ zone for many makes it all the harder for trade to be developed. The prime minster has shown he is well aware of this. He has also stressed the operation currently underway in Karachi will not be held up. We hope the measures will be followed through with at every level. It is vital that we restore Karachi to something resembling normalcy. At present, political tensions within the city tie in to criminal trends. Much needs to be done to alter this and by doing so make it possible for all kinds of activities, including trade, to truly prosper and bring benefits to citizens living both in Karachi and in other parts of the country. The strategy adopted to tame the badlands of Karachi must therefore be carefully thought out and implemented at every stage.