MQM’s targeted killing strategy- By Jan Assakzai
Almost on daily basis Pakhtuns are killed in Karachi and there is a complete silence in the media to the plight of the beleaguered community. And the victims are dismissed as workers of ANP as if their blood is cheap.
The knowledge that how the MQM’s military wing is undertaking the killings of political opponents, police officers and the Pakhtuns is in public domain- a fact even acknowledged by the government’s own interior ministry report (May 23, The News) with input from all the official security stakeholders in Karachi, including the Sindh Police, Special Branch, IB, ISI, Rangers and the Interior Ministry. So what is the strategy of the MQM behind these targeted killings of the Pakhtuns?
Those carrying out this war has two goals: the first is to create sympathy in Karachi and throughout the country for Urdu speaking community to portray the picture as if they are being driven by the Pakhtuns from their homes parallel to what happened to their forefather over six decades ago in communal riots in the united provinces prior to partition.
Second, they have sought to portray their war against the Pakhtuns as a struggle against the land mafia, the Taliban and and extremism. The Pakhtuns are being portrayed as aggressors toward the Urdu speaking community. The Urdu speaking community is portrayed as patriotic Pakistanis fighting the Pakhtuns much as the their forefathers had fought against communal rioters.
It is a brilliant strategy. By focusing on the alleged victimhood of Urdu speaking community and on the alleged aggression of the Pakhtuns , the MQM strategists defined the battle as being mainly against the Pakhtuns, with the Sindhis and Balochs of Karachi playing the role of people trying to create the second phase of the “Muhajir” victimhood. The goal is to vilify the Pakhtuns and to position the Urdu speaking community with other nationalist groups whether in rural Sindh or Balochistan rising against the Pakhtuns.
Not to mention the sub text that sends a message to other Pakhtuns who intend to come to Karachi to think twice as their properties: transport, push carts, huts will also be brunt down.
The precise truth or falsehood of this portrayal didn’t particularly matter. For most of the country, the Pakhtun issue in Karachi is poorly understood and is not a matter of immediate concern. The MQM intends to shape the perceptions of a the public with limited interest in or understanding of the issues, filling in the blanks with their own narrative. And they have succeeded by portraying the Pakhtuns as the Taliban and extremists.
The success is rooted in a political reality. Where knowledge is limited, and the desire to learn the complex reality doesn’t exist, public opinion can be shaped by whoever generates the most powerful symbols. And here the media spinning machine of the MQM works 24/7 in conjunction with the elements of mainstream Punjab and Karachi based media who is not prepared to accommodate alternative narratives on Karachi’s underlying issues, militancy, terrorism, India and Afghanistan relations. And on a matter of only tangential interest, governments tend to follow their public’s wishes, however they originate.
There is little to be gained for government in resisting public opinion and much to be gained by giving in. By shaping the battlefield of public perception, it is thus possible to get governments to change positions.
In this way, the MQM’s ability to shape public perceptions of what is happening in Karachi (to demonise the Pakhtuns and turn the question of Pakhtun issue into a MQM-ANP tussle) shapes the political decisions of a range of governments at centre and the province. It is not the truth or falsehood of the narrative that matters. What matters is the ability to identify the victim and victimiser such that Pakistani public opinion caused both in Karachi and central government not directly involved in the issue to adopt political stances advantageous to the MQM.
It is in this context that we need to view the silence of the PPP and other political parties over the plight of Pakhtuns in Karachi. It is weired that the PPP are tacitly supporting the MQM, in latter’s policy to drive Pakhtuns out of Sindh or in case of Sindhi nationalists staying neutral thus by default if not by design, punishing the poor Pakhtuns. But the PPP representing the Sindh vote bank and other Sindhi nationalists better understand that the MQM’ is not going to stay a 3 city party in Sindh and they would expand to rural Sindh.
As far the state of Pakistan, it is in Islamabad’s interest to check the policies of the MQM towards Pakhtuns and other ethnic minorities in Karachi also balance the monopolising politics of the group. At the end, it is only Pakhtuns that are between Jinnapur and Pakistan checking the lingering ambition of the MQM for its own separate fiefdom. Besides, economically vibrant and a peaceful Karachi is only conceivable if it survives as politically pluralistic, multi cultural and multi ethnic cosmopolitan city with the State of Pakistan as neutral arbiter in between various communities.
Notwithstanding, the Pakhtun community is well integrated in Pakistan and its political voices including the ANP and PKMAP have never been a centrifugal force-except merely accused by the establishment at time when Pakistan was feeling its way forward in Afghanistan, attempting to find the means to increase its geo-political stature through elements of Mujaheddin later the Taliban across the border and develop new tools of influence in Pakhtun areas through religio-political forces including the MMA and Suadi-funded religious seminaries.
But If Pakhutns are driven out of Karachi and Sindh, they have their ancestral land from the mountains of Chitral in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa to the plains of Sibi in Balochistan which will take them back when they the need it.
However, the biggest losers would be the PPP, ethnic Sindhis and the State of Pakistan if the MQM’s march towards ethnic cleansing and demographic engineering were left unchecked, aside the ordinary Urdu speaking population reeling under the yoke of the MQM.
The MQM’s demographic engineering and stocking ethnic riots comes at a most precarious time. Pakistan has already arrived at crisis point as the militant insurgency continues to spiral out of control and floods devastated the nearly 100 years of savings of Pakhtuns. Stoking ethnic unrest in Karachi for political reasons exacerbates the security dilemma confronting the state and provides a greater opportunity for the militants to thrive.
With Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and FATA under the grip of terrorism and floods and the Pakhtuns in northern Balochistan being discriminated against, the 40 million Pakhtuns see least prospects for any livelihood in the foreseeable future. The only way the MQM can get rid of 7 million Pakhtuns of Karachi (Source: Wikipedia, and “Front Line World”-Focus- a report produced in association with the New York Times”) is to drive them into Arabian sea. Otherwise, they can not replace their Pakhtun neighbours no matter how many of them (the Pakhtuns) they target kill.
janassakzai200@gamil.com
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Such a stupid post by Jan Assakzai.
Jan in a previous article you said there are 7 million pushtuns in Karachi while ANP sindh president Shahi Syed said 4 million.
actually there are not more then 2.5 – 3million in karachi 90% lives on encroached land illegally.
This picture show the people behind Target killing in Karachi and the people supporting those terrorists.
http://yfrog.com/b5ywkqj
Now question is Ranger supporting these Pukhtun Terrorists by themselves or PPP government like their past playing these dirty games.
PPP made PPI in office of IG Sindh and now pumping ANP but will fail like before.
Do anyone from PPP wants to comment on this picture ?
Do remember this is not 1992 …..
what id means by incroached land illigally.???????
Pukhtoon are living yes on disert and cheep land of karachi far from City.
what about Mohajir. are they bring the land from India???? infact they (the Mohajir) incroached the area inside the Karachi city in very costly area. they bay these land with very little prices.
@Hameed, Yes Mohajirs had land in India and they got the equivalent here when they arrive. Not like others that they grabbed the land encroached it. Feel free if you want to talk about the sacrifices of various nationalities for the creation of Pakistan.
Unless and untill Pukhtoon confront Mohajir outrightly by gunning down a few hundred mohajirs or Panjabi army stops double games of supporting the MQM and start a Naseerullah Baber style operation clean up this bloodbath will never stop.Power grows from the barrel of the gun.These Makhars(grasshoppers in sindhi) are type of people who kick u if u lick them and lick u if u kick them.Latoon key bhoot batoon se nahi mantey.Pukhtoon needs a rapid action force to retaliate.They themselves will have to defend themselves otherwise no one will come to their rescue.
Karachi: PPP, MQM and ANP, Sensibility Please!!- by Muqtida Mansoor 05 August 2010 http://criticalppp.com/archives/20727
Yousafzayashna says: August 7, 2010 at 8:49 am Unless and untill Pukhtoon confront Mohajir outrightly by gunning down a few hundred mohajirs or Panjabi army stops double games of supporting the MQM
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Cool down and just look around because such fiery outbursts could only give you more death and Beirut.
Karachi has almost equal composition of all major ethnic group of Pakistan. Urdu, Punjabi, Pathan, Baluch, Sindhi each ethnics group has almost more than 2 million souls. However cultural, political, business and economically dominating class in Karachi are only those who are aliens, settled, migrated from other areas particularly Gujrat/India.
Karachi (1/10th of Pakistan) is under MQM’s siege (bunch of Idiots), since 1947 Karachi a city of Sindh has gradually become Sindhi-less city and even Nawaz Sharif can’t dare to go to Karachi.
MQM and Pathan both are aliens in Karachi. But why Pathans are taxi drivers, watch man and waiters whereas most of Clifton, DHA villas, Business Houses and Industrial Units on II Chundrigar Road, Site and Mall Road (Shahrah Faisal) are owned by migrants from Gujrat(Agha Khani)/India.
I always wonder
Why East India Company colonial started first Urdu News Paper and Urdu Fort William College. Why all great poets of the Urdu were on pay roll/pension of the East India Company. Were any Sindhi, Pashtoo, Baluchi, Kasmiri, Saraiki Poets on British pay roll. Were any colleges opened for local language by British? Pathan were ruling elite of the region for almost 800 years just like British remained for 200 years. Why modern educated Pathans are unable to read/write their mother language Pashto? How many bill boards in Pathan towns and cities are written in Pashtoo? How many Pathan can read by themselves poetry of Rahman Baba and Khusal Khan Khatak?
I always wonder
We are told that Indians Mohajirs migrated to Pakistan 50 years back for a cause and crises in their homelands i.e. India. They were made land lords and allotted lands and still they will speaks against feudal. They were given full citizenship and all rights of land. It is told to us that these Indian Mohajirs gave life in freedom fight. But which freedom fights?? Were we fighting for freedom from Sikhs or British? How many British were killed in this freedom fight by Mohajirs? Interestingly NONE. These blood sheds were after 1947 when freedom was granted/authorized by British Parliament. Historically Indians Muslims starting with Sir Syed were baboos/employees of East India Company. They still dominate Bureaucracy, Army, and Business not because that they are more hardworking or talented rather System has been made skewed in their favor. Will millions people migrated from Tribal Area also allotted properties in prime location on all Metropolis and Mall Roads the same way, as was done in 1947. Will people migrating from Swat and Waziristan also dominate similarly as Agha Khanis and all those migrated from Gujrat India.
I always wonder
After Army operation (for just couple of months) against Boriband culture in Karachi Army Chief is poisoned to death, President along with Prime Minister are sent home whereas whole Govt is packed up. Why Army operations (spanning over years) against Bengalis (1970/71), Baluch (1974/75), Sindhis (1980s) and Pathans (WOT) is not followed by same consequences. MQM is given unquestioned and unconditioned control of 1/10th of Pakistan (i.e. Karachi). Zia by design, first of all created chaos in Karachi. This policy was later on followed by establishment in order to justify MQM take over of the Karachi.
I would suggest many of you to post your responses in an actual thread of respected Assakzai on http://www.pashtunforums.com it would be more organized.
I agree with your article Assakzai saheb.
The gun traders are saying that they are gunned down.
Karachi is the home for MQM, any propblem in Karachi is loss to the people of Karachi and this is not possible.
Kindly stop politicizing the killing and stop the blame game and people life is too precious it should not be wasted as it is.
“Countering Ethnocentrism In Karachi By Creating Coastal Province And By Using Separate Electoral System
Forecast of Quaid-e-Azam about Pakistan with reference to Provincialism,
( 28 March,1948,Dhaka)
“If we begin to think of ourselves as Bengalis, Punjabis, Sindhis etc. first and Muslims and Pakistanis only incidentally, then Pakistan is bound to disintegrate.”
Above forecast of Quaid-e-Azam was truly proved when in 1971 Pakistan disintegrated, and now still Pakistani nation is still going on same path.
Promotion of Provincialism and Ethnocentrism by President of Pakistan is highly deplorable, and is against the Constitution of Pakistan, in which it is the basic Policy principle of Constitution of Pakistan which directs to make efforts against provincialism but our president is trying to promote provincialism and ethnocentrism.
Investors of Ethnocentrism.
ANP, PPP and MQM are main beneficiaries and investors of ethnocentrism, provincialism and sectarianism and therefore Mr. Zardari is trying to divide Pakistani nation on such lines, and making statements such
• As people of other provinces are eating the resources of Balouchistan while infact those are Balouch Sardars who are mostly involved in making properties in other provinces, Jamali sons behaving like land mafia and are having properties in Sindh, Mengal and Marri are having properties in Karachi, Moreover Mr. Zardari is himself involved in making properties in U.K. (Surrey Palace) and every where in Pakistan (from Marri to Guwadour)
• Punjab is taking the share of water of Sindh while infact it the Sindh Government which is wasting the River Indus water in land and in Arabian Sea. Due to which many parts of Sindh are suffering from problem of water accumulation leading to stagnant water in lakes and creating swamp lands and rise in sea level.
• People of Sindh will be converted to minority due to migration of Pukhtoons to Karachi, while infact if whole of NWFP population move to Sindh even then it is simply impossible to convert people of Sindh into minority as population of NWFP is 15 Million and that of Sindh about 40 million.
Sindh and Karachi.
Presently people of Karachi and Sindh are also suffering from this disease and thousands of people have died due to this disease in only Karachi,
This disease makes people mad, blind and deaf ,This is the reason that although people of Karachi and Sindh are most educated in Pakistan and know very well that their leaders are terrorist, killers and corrupted but even then they supports to terrorist, killers and corrupted leaders, and there is no value of life in city of Karachi and Sindh.
As province of Sindh has totally failed in protecting life and property of people of different ethnic groups, So many people have died and murdered due to this disease of ethnocentrism but government of Sindh has taken no concrete measures to counter such murders and crimes, In the era of General Zia-ul-Haq when there used to be any information about any initiation of problem of law and order, Administration used to implement Curfew in the localities for prevention of further loss of life, but at present Provincial Sindh government (due to lust of power ) has totally failed in this regard.
Due to no commitment with any moral and ethical Ideology and due to disease of provincialism and ethnocentrism, criminals are committing their crimes freely and police Department is totally inefficient in protecting the life and property of people which is obvious from following examples.
1) Merciless killing and massacre in Karachi on 12 May 2008, in which police and provincial government were found helping the criminals, and officially no investigation was made by provincial government against such delirious crimes.
2) Loot and arson on 27 December 2008, on the day of death of Benazir Bhutto, free hand was given to criminals for each and every type of crime by provincial governments and police and Railway and transport of people of other provinces was main target of these criminals, and later on all cases against these criminals were removed by Chief Minister of Sindh.
3) 0n 27 December once again police of province failed event to protect the property of people and free hand was given to criminals in committing their crimes.
4) Target killing of citizens and youth belonging from different groups such as Pukhtoons, Punjabies, Sindhies, Balouch and Urdu speaking people, have become a common pratice, while provincial government has taken no step to counter these crimes, it looks as there is no value of life in front of Sindh government like that of Lalit Moodi government of state of Gujrat in India.
As mention above there is need to counter these crimes by changing the structure of the province and the difference in ethnicities could be used for stabilization of that region, the details of which are as follows.
Need of a new Province of Karachi.
• In scenario of uncontrollable region, it is required to create a new province with the name of “Karachi” including all coastal areas of Pakistan, from Theta to Guwadour, by this the all coastal areas will come under the control of a new geographical entity and it will be easy for that province to administer and manage that same geography in better way with the help of Pakistan Navy.
• By this all ports and coastal areas will come in the same province under one administration with its Head Quarter in Karachi.
• That New administration will improve chain of command and management of ports, coastal areas, fishery department in coastal regions.
• At present inclusion of coastal areas in Government of Sindh and Balouchistan government is very odd and unnatural, as usually Sindh Government officers have agricultural background and Capital of Balouchistan government is very remote and far away from coastal areas, therefore administration of coastal areas of Pakistan by a single administration in Karachi will be the best option.
• New Provincial Government will be more accountable with reference to law and order to federal government as compared to present ambiguous and complex structures of Provinces.
Name of New Province.
Name of New province should be as Karachi, Makran, Coastal Areas of Pakistan, or Muhajiran,Sahil-e-Muhajir as these coastal areas are mainly inhabitated by migrants from Africa, India, Interior Sindh, Interior Pakistan and is main location of migratory birds of Siberia.
By inclusion of all coastal areas in one province will make separation and cessation movements weaker in the country.
Separate Electoral System in New Province.
Political Structure should be based on multiculturism and tolerance as these areas are inhabitated by many large and small ethnic groups there will be need to have separate electoral system in that province for Urdu speakers,Sindhi speakers, Pushtoo speakers,Punjabi speakers and Makrani speakers and there should be seates in provincial assembly as per their population.By separate electoral system ethnic conflicts will be minimized and wastage of votes of ethnic minorities will come to an end.
• At present small ethnic minorities are unable to represent themselves in assemblies as majority ethnic group such as MQM, does not allow them to reach in assemblies by using each and every means, due to which smaller ethnic groups are suffering from distress in city of Karachi.
Facilitating Migration of Quality peoples.
More over as at present ethnic groups are trying to increase their population in the city of Karachi, such as Sindh government forcing people of interior to migrate towards Karachi, MQM is trying to increase its vote bank by bringing Indian and Bangladeshi migrants in Karachi, in the same manner Pushtoon and Balouch speakers want to increase their population, In view of all this there is need to make some quality standards for people’s migration into this new province as Canada, Australia and USA has developed such standards for migration, so that new province could become a Model, developed and advanced province of Pakistan.
Conclusion:
From above observations, suggestions and predictions, its quite clear that present ethnic conflicts and loss of life in Karachi could be minimized by Creation of a new province on coastal areas of Pakistan and by using separate electoral system for different ethnic and religious minorities in that province.
By this we will be able to counter those who are trying to divide Pakistan on the basis of ethoncenterism, provincialism and sectarianism.
Written By:
M.AKRAM KHAN NIAZI
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