Glory lost

Since the 1980s, Karachi has been suffering from neglect meted to it by various parties and governments. The peace, security and spirit of tolerance that were unique to the city suffered a blow as kidnapping for ransom, China cutting, target killings, and torture cells became the norm. Lands allocated for amenity parks and state-owned real-estate were forcibly occupied by goons. There was no sense of ownership for Karachi by those in charge, as they transferred billions of rupees to their foreign bank accounts.

Neither the PPP nor the MQM can absolve itself from the crimes and poor governance of the city. What Karachi needs today are people with a sense of ownership and fraternity who are willing to give back to the city that took them in.

M Tariq Ali

Lahore