Pakistan’s Beirut: Karachi

[H2O3C4Nitrogen]

my only request to Karachiites would be to keep your ears and eyes open, even when you are asleep. Report suspicious persons or those who are displaying arms in public.

Don't tolerate more of this bullshit in your city. Do something.

Dudes these are the things which you normally dont do when you survive ...
This city has accommodated every evil , from gang wars to target killing.. everything is being accommodated in this metropolis..!
And due to this .. things do workout for karachietes

 

[53fd]

Karachi needs to be cleaned and mopped.....you have the incredible-looking, flawless gated communities @ Clifton/Defence.

and then you have the GeJ/Orangi/Sohrab Goth/Lyari areas where people settle scores through violence.....political violence which takes on some kind of ethnic dimension

Karachi over the last 10 years has really progressed. Check out the infrastructure of the city 10 years ago, and compare it to now. Karachi has been cleaned up, but unfortunately the only thing Karachi hasn't been cleaned up from is its ethnic tensions. It's not just Clifton and Defence, KDA is pretty upper class too. Nazimabad, Gulberg Town (Federal B Area), North Nazimabad, Gulistan-e-Jauhar (despite its ethnic conflicts), Gulshan-e-Iqbal, Sadr area are all middle class Karachi, and are not deprived in any way. Karachi has made huge strides forward, and considering the 'city' has a population of close to 20 million, I must say Karachi has done a damn good job and made tremendous progress. There are still some poor parts of Karachi such as Lyari, Malir, Orangi Town that need to be urbanized, but most of Karachi has made huge improvements and is not deprived. I have seen many more slums in Mumbai, Karachi's twin city. I honestly think Karachi is similar to New York City in a way, when the Italian and Irish gangs and Mafias were wrecking havoc in the city. Karachi has the potential to be today's New York City of South Asia.

 

[53fd]

now, in any other country where the administration were SERIOUS about stopping this tit-for-tate nonsense --there would be a massive de-weaponization program; there would be shoot-on-site orders to ANYBODY even thinking of displaying or firing arms


Now, this I agree with 100%. In fact, MQM has tried to pass a legislation for de-weaponizing Karachi, which would be pretty sweet if it gets implemented. The other parties such as ANP and PPP also need to show some initiative (I am not a supporter of MQM btw, but I understand SOME of the stuff they do). Surprising it may be, but I am very optimistic about the future of Karachi and Pakistan in general.

 

[Abu Zolfiqar]

it's a global phenomenon in any country, and in any hugely populated urban city --especially one which sees massive migration from within the country due to job opportunities

through migration, some undesirable elements come --and they bring their 'baggage' with them


in my mind, the biggest problems in Karachi


a.) politicians and political activists have ties to land and other mafias....meaning the latter do get some kind of umbrella of protection due to their money and influence

b.) too many unaccounted for arms......authorities should confiscate and destroy all unregistered weapons if and whenever they find them. There should be occasional searches/frisking measures in troubled parts of the city -to ensure that concealed arms are not being carried (age profiling should be used)

c.) police are just not equipped or trained to deal with the law & order issues in Karachi ...they should continue ban on pillion riding until further notice since it may help

d.) influential parties like MQM ANP PPP are not doing enough to control the activities and conduct of some of their activists --many of whom act as if they are gangsters and thugs....we saw their behaviour in 2007and other times when parts of Karachi were being littered by cross firings by these groups



wake up and smell the coffee...Karachi is a great, mysterious city...a REAL city. Continue to build on it and make it the New York of the region. It will help when the scum are identified and eradicated completely.

 

[Abu Zolfiqar]

nobody can forget Chicago, USA, of the 1930s....
or Brooklyn New York in 1970s/80s

the things that were going on there would make Karachi look innocent

 

[apophenia]

Call in Army. why some political party opposes army controlling the city ?

Not some political party but anyone sane enough to understand the consequences of any such move. Urban warfare is totally a different ball game and something which our men in uniforms still have to master.