Violence engulfs Karachi; after Raza Haider’s assassination

 

Karachi burns in wave of violence

The killing of  Raza Haider was the most high-profile in a series of slayings of party activists over the last month.  He was a senior member of the Muttahida Qaumi Movement.

Clashes that killed at least 40 people overnight left the streets of Karachi deserted today as Pakistan’s largest city was on alert for more violence, more than 100 people were also wounded in the rioting that followed the death of Raza Haider.

The violence once again raised fears of instability in Karachi, a city of 18 million and Pakistan’s commercial hub, and about the flight of Taliban militants to the city after army offensives against their bases in Pakistan’s northwest. Some analysts said the violence could ultimately affect the economy. Karachi is home to the country’s main port, the central bank and the stock exchange, which has so far seen thin trade and will close an hour early because of the violence.

The stock market was open on Tuesday but trade was dull and attendance

Pakistani paramilitary soldiers on patrol in the deserted Karachi streets

thin due to security concerns. The main index was flat by 1:00 pm (0800 GMT), but dealers said the violence could dampen investor sentiment.

‘This could be the last nail in the coffin and could be disastrous for the stock market because as it is, volume has been below average and this may lead to foreign investors exiting the market,’ said Sajid Bhanji, a director at brokerage Arif Habib Ltd, of Haider’s killing and the ensuring violence.

Karachi has a long history of ethnic, religious and sectarian violence. It was a main target of Al Qaeda-linked militants after the September 11, 2001, attacks on the United States, when Pakistan joined the U.S.-led campaign against militancy, and foreigners were attacked in the city several times. 

Including last night’s death toll, officials say at least 193 people have been killed in targeted attacks since the start of the year, although analysts and political parties say the number is likely much higher.

The main reason for the bloodshed is tension between the Urdu-speaking and Pashtun communities: both feel their economic interests are threatened in Pakistan’s commercial hub.  

Added to this volatile mixture is the fact that criminal gangs affiliate themselves with the political parties so they can carry on their illegal activities.  All this has created the friction which has led to the political killings of more than 300 people this year alone in Karachi.

Interior Minister Rehman Malik was quoted by militants as saying Islamist militants were likely suspects, saying Haider was on an extremist hit list.

Pakistani Interior Minister Rehman Malik speaking after the August 2 killing, appealed for the public “not to speculate as to who is behind this murder until we investigated this.” He added that he thought the killing was “a new formula to destabilize Pakistan and in particular Karachi, which is the hub of our economic activities. This is an attempt to cripple it.”

The minister thanked MQM chief Altaf Hussain and ANP president Asfandyar Wali Khan for counselling patience to their followers due to which, he said, the situation had been brought under control and there had been ‘no killing or burning’ after 4am on Tuesday. “Now targeted actions are continuing in Karachi,” Mr Malik said and assured the house that the government would pull all its actions together to flush out Taliban ‘zaliman’ (oppressors).

Comments

comments

Latest Comments
  1. wasim watio
    -
  2. S. Ali Raza
    -
  3. free
    -
WordPress › Error

There has been a critical error on this website.

Learn more about troubleshooting WordPress.