THE crime was gruesome even by the standards of local criminals. Six men were found slaughtered at a remote shrine in Gulshan-i-Maymar, located in Karachi’s outskirts, on Tuesday. Along with ending the men’s lives in a grisly manner, the perpetrators of the barbaric act also damaged the shrine. Reports say a note found at the scene, reportedly signed off by the TTP, warned that anyone else visiting the shrine would meet a similar fate. Religious militants are known to bear extreme malice towards all sorts of religious expression that does not fit within their narrow definition of what is Islamic. They have been known to mete out similar ‘punishments’ to unfortunate souls in many parts, while they are notorious for their iconoclasm: the fanatics have attacked many a Sufi shrine in the country. Karachi itself witnessed an attack believed to be orchestrated by militants on its most prominent dargah — that of Abdullah Shah Ghazi in 2010. However, all things considered, the killings in Gulshan-i-Maymar require further investigation to prove whether the TTP was really involved in the outrageous act, or if other criminals used the militants as a cover to settle their own scores.

This is not the first time individuals have been slain in such a brutal manner in Karachi. In November last year, a suspected faith healer was decapitated and his head hung from a city bridge. Investigations into that case have also proved inconclusive. If extremist elements are indeed found to be involved in such acts — only thorough investigations can establish the facts — the state must prepare itself to confront a ferocious new player in Karachi’s deadly vortex of violence. For many years now, there has been talk of creeping Talibanisation in the city, particularly on its outer rim. Police have come under attack, as have polio workers and political activists, in areas where the TTP is said to have influence, while ‘Sharia courts’ are also known to be operating in some neighbourhoods. Karachi has enough violent elements as it is. If the authorities fail to identify and neutralise an emerging Taliban threat, ghastly incidents such as the one witnessed at the shrine may just be the beginning as the extremists expand their targets in the city.