Why We Need a Fightback Agaisnt Target Killers in Karachi By Riaz Ahmed, International Socialists (Karachi) www.worldtowinpk.net August 3, 2010 48 people were target killed in Karachi during within 24 hors after MQM member of parliament was killed in a Sunni mosque on August 2 2010. Those killed in MPs aftermath are mostly Pushtoon from working class, richshaw and taxi drivers, cart-pushers and people on the bus stops. Entire Karachi is at the moment hostage to target killers and there is widespread fear of greater mayhem still to come. In past one week this is second attack on MQM. The attackers are unknown. Govt says its 'third forces' which can mean anything. Due to the forthcoming election politics in Karachi where Pushtoon led ANP is becoming a pole of attraction for Pushtoons, Punjabis and even some rightists allying against the dominant terror of MQM any sign of attack on or weakness emerging out of MQM is taken by this terror-led-political outfit as a challenge that can be overcome by use of force and they call press conferences and announce that they cannot wait for a state-led inquiry but will settle scores themselves. Its emerging that the forces within MQM are at odds about how to deal with the declining support amongst Karachi's Mohajirs (migrants, now second generation of those that migrated from India/Bangladesh) and how to distance itself from the Shias in Karachi (who out of real hatred for Jihadists who regularly attack them) so as not to alienate the rising 'Sunnism' voters. Hence there is little protest by MQM when Shias are attacked by state-backed Sunni sectarians. Therefore if today Raza Haider a Shia MQM MP who was killed inside a Sunni mosque was attacked by sectarian Sunni outfits the blame was immediately put by the MQM on the Pushtoon nationalist ANP...Its a horrible situation in Karachi. All over Pakistan there is death by design termed 'natural' disaster but it takes a monstrous form in Karachi precisely because the interests of capital have been dominating here longer. There are many political and religious organizations operating in Karachi which have an anti-MQM stance. And their roles have changed. For example Jamaat e Islami used to express outrage at the killings of Pushtoons but not anymore...the declining support of MQM means that every electoral niche of the Sunni mohajir majority is being catered for. Since the 10th Moharram procession attack and the arson afterwards MQM has been forced to distance itself from Shias. Distancing from Shias ultimately results in more attacks on Shias. It also adds up to the anti-Iran forces who, if Iran is attacked, are quite openly interested in shutting up any form of outrage in Pakistan and that you know will certainly be led by Shias. Hence the 10th Mohrram procession and other burial ceremonies of Shias or their participation in public gatherings, like the one in which Raza Haider was gunned down, are attacked so as to force Shias to abandon processions and political agitation in the lead-up to attack on Iran. Also note that MQM is pro-US and cannot afford to appear pro-Shia in the present environment. But it was the anti-Pushtoon stance in 1980s which allowed MQM to get wholesome support of Shias in Karachi's FB Area and North Karachi. The unite-Mohajir stance of MQM called for uniting Shia and Sunnis. Hence MQM has a history of becoming a platform of Shias as well. It is this platform that comes under tension in the present US-led terrorist environment and forces convulsions in MQM. It cannot distance itself from the Shias outrightly, it can also not appear to be calling for Shias to abandon protests. Organisationally MQM is a mixture of all sorts of sects and uses its own terror to silence others. But as the growing terrorism of Sipah and other pro-military Sunni outfits are clearly showing that they are having a upper hand. That is undermining MQM and hence the attempt to blame Pushtoon nationalist ANP which saves its Shia vote and the Sunni vote without appearing to be anti-US or proShia. That is why ordinary Pushtoons like taxi-driver, richshaw-driver, stall-vendor are being killed. Obviously they are not the ones responsible for attacks on Shia mosques or Shia MQM leaders. That is why this is real terrorism which aims to attack the weakest and the ordinary solely to rule over the entire majority. Its barbaric. This barbarism grows because the economic crisis has deepend in Pakistan. Karachi being the industrial hub has experienced massive cut-backs and layoffs from factories and institutions. Massive price-hike of
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essential items and utilities has drained a huge majority of the masses. When it comes to struggle and fight back the ordinary working people find the economic subjugation and the need to have a meal a day far more overwhelming. And this is expressed in daily conversation in many workplaces where the question of fight back is responded by with the talk of the burden to meet the ends. This means frustration, helplessness which leads a section of the non-working class lower middle class layer to find scapegoats and instead of a fightback against the PPP led government that leaves no opportunity to attack the ordinary the target becomes the Pushtoons, the Shias and the rest of the most vulnerables. This benefits the big bosses, the capitalists and the speculators. The state absolves itself of any responsibility of the economic crisis and the capitalists are quick to shift the burden of their fall in profits on to the working class with cuts and layoffs. In the past six months the ground has shifted in favor of the lower-middle class organizations. The Sipah e Sihaba and a host of state-backed organizations including the MQM have found it easier to lead make Pushtoons, Shias and other minorities targets expressing this frustration. But they have not been successful in pitching the Shia against the Sunni, the Mohajir against the Pushtoons. It still continues as target killings. On many occasions the working class has struck back and fought. Target killings of Pushtoons, Shias and other minorities will have to be resisted on a mass scale otherwise this barbarism will continue to deepen and become more darker. Recent Ordinary working class struggles like the ones by the J&M Garments, Prince Glass and Ship-breakers struggles are few examples of Shias, Sunnis, Mohajir and Pushtoons joining hands with each other to fight against exploitative bosses. On each occasion they have been met with brutal repression by the para-military, police and other state organs. On each occasion the resistance has shown that it is possible to fightback. These small but important struggles show that unity against the exploiters is possible and sectarians and ethnicists backed by the state and military cannot succeed. However the killings need to be seen as part of the system that breeds barbarism. The parliamentary democracy in Pakistan now fails to represent the sentiments of the ordinary working class. The political parties from the MQM to the PPP and the ANP to the religious right are nothing but apology of this system. Therefore any struggle against the killings faces an urgent need to present a political alternative to the existing system. A political alternative that empowers the ordinary working class to decide about the future of this society, emancipates the ordinary from the spread of the war and the destruction of the environment. Capitalism and its liberal democracy don’t offer such solutions. They offer solutions that ensures wars, destruction and exploitation of the workers for the sake of profits of the companies and imperialist expansion continues . Therefore the fight against target killings is linked with the fight to present a social political alternative that replaces the order imposed by the will of capital.
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