From Euphoria to Tragedy

                                                                       Majyd Aziz

The euphoria enveloping the Bohra community during the last week when Syedi Mufaddal Bhaisaheb Saifuddin, the designated successor of the present spiritual leader and Dai, Syedna Burhanuddin, evaporated into gloom and doom when desperados targeted this docile, primarily mercantile, and sensitive religious community through an IED bomb in a busy shopping center frequented by this community in Haidary, Karachi.

At this critical juncture in the history of Karachi, where target killings, extortion racket, high incidence of street crime and burglaries, kidnappings, strikes and rallies are vitiating the peace and security of this metropolitan city, the attack on a peaceful community by dastardly perpetrators of terrorism reflects the total shredding of the moral fiber of this country. The harrowing thought occurring in the minds of the other accommodating, amenable and business-oriented ethnic communities who have mega stakes in Karachi is whether the attack on Bohra community was an isolated incident or whether this was an harbinger of worse attacks on them in the future. The Memon, Ismaili, and Parsi communities are definitely scared and this calamity has further fortified their sense of insecurity that they have been feeling since the last few years. This episode, alongwith some high profile kidnappings and extortion threats, have compelled them to indulge in community-based strategic rethinking about living in Karachi or planning future investments. The much-talked about exodus of over 175 Memon families, primarily women and children, to UAE and Malaysia does not bode well for the nation's image and economy. Even the Chinioti community has openly voiced their concerns and is contemplating another substantial migration to Punjab from Karachi.

What is the solution to this mayhem and near anarchy in Karachi? How long would be the citizens, and more so the business community, continue to listen to hollow promises and assurances of people in the corridors of power? When people with wherewithal come to a point when they are ready to leave everything and move out of the country for a safe future for their children and their business, then that must be considered as the last straw. The deployment of the present lot of law enforcers has not given any tangible results. Now, no more spin doctoring, no more empty promises, and no more e.Coli would bring relief to the mercantile communities, especially those communities that are known for their passivity and adherence to the laws of the country.

Maybe the time has come when again the strict control and maintenance of law and order in the South City must be handed over to the Pakistan Army. Isn’t it the opportune time to place a total ban on strikes, rallies, and processions until situation improves? Even the political parties must refrain from their petty politics as this attitude of theirs has manifested into making Karachi a volatile volcano. The politicians, it seems, are shying away from addressing the real issues affecting the nation. They have relegated the economic and social issues as a low priority and are concentrating more on diverting the attention of the populace by cashing in on other matters that enable them to be in the public eye. Pakistan is not getting better. Tragedy has become the daily sustenance, tragically.