Karachi hosts the largest concentration of urban Pashtoon population, surpassing Peshawar, Quetta and Kandahar. It is the largest Pashto speaking city in the world. By some accounts it is more than 15% of the total Population in Karachi. Pashtoons are contributing significantly to the economy through businesses and labor and won two seats in the 2008 elections. The ANP can win more seats also if it embraces Pashtoons from FATA, "ANP is changing and is becoming a counterforce for MQM". It is not a one party city this has to be accepted. Poltical space has to be given otherwise FATA lesson is infront of us. Rehman Malik should stop blaming the third element and get to the root cause of this violence; he doesn't sound funny anymore!. And the media needs to provide authentic indepth analysis in order for all of us see the path to the solution; blaming govt as its favorite game in this case just doesn't help Pakistan. Because the fact is that Karachi has a long history of ethnic violence between the Urdu speakers and Pashtuns.
This is not to undermine the issue of other destabilizing forces such as gang-warfare, weapon dealers and land mafia; but it is mainly the targeted killings of political rivals eventually turns into such bloodshed as we witness today. ANP is a secular party that has been a victim of the Taliban militants and besides PPP it speaks against them more forthrightly than any other political force does. Hence for peace in Karachi ANP has to be accepted and worked with as an equal partner. The Pashtun leaders have very often called for acceptance of Pashtun existence in Karachi by MQM. But the madness prevails of blaming all pasthuns rather every pashtun as a terrorist. Where will this philosophy lead us. The patriotic orthodoxy prevalent in the majority in Karachi and the majority in Punjab has already alienated the Balochis in the resource rich but deprived Balochistan. Similarly the Pashtuns in KP and Balochistan don't think any different for being cornered when we talk about loyalty to our country Pakistan. The mantra of who is more loyal to Pakistan for their ethnicity or language they speak is absurdly nonsensical but continues unabated.
The call is for bringing the Pashtuns of Karachi in the mainstream and accepting their existence; other wise Peace in the City will remain a dream; rangers can provide only temporary relief it is in no way a long term solution.
Salma Majeed Jafar
Salma Majeed Jafar
