Combating terrorism and different acts of violence in the cities requires proper urban planning that can provide a comprehensive framework to manage areas that are densely populated and hard to access

IT would be extremely hard to subscribe to the official claim that there is peace in the demographically largest city of the country, Karachi. Last year, the citizens of Karachi witnessed some of the bloodiest terrorist acts in the months of May and June. Bomb blasts at two mosques/imam bargahs, target killings of renowned religious scholars and political leaders, and an attack on the motorcade of a senior army commander were events that terribly shook the city. Some critics were of the opinion that there was hardly government functioning in the province.

Here, it would be apt to mention that since December 2004, a notorious gang war has claimed dozens of precious lives in Lyari alone, and the locality is in the grip of tension. The fact that such acts of violence and terrorism have become a recurring feature of Karachi’s urban life is quite disturbing. While some instant administrative attention was given to terrorism, disappointingly, attacks on innocent civilians could not be stopped. The citizens of Karachi continue to face a raw deal as part of their fate. According to one person, those who are still alive consider their lives an added bonus. There is no guarantee of protection from a terrorist attack or target killing in the megapolis.

The apparent motives behind each act of terror are very different. However, almost all of them tend to achieve one common objective: to disrupt civil life and cause damage to the life and property of innocent people. For the city and provincial administrations, the challenge remains how to pre-empt terrorists’ moves and to neutralize their nefarious designs. This can hardly be done under the so-called theory of ‘strict law enforcement’. It requires a careful review and analysis of the possible causes that give rise to terrorism.

Large urban agglomerations are usually ripe contexts for terrorist acts, especially when they are heterogeneous in social composition. Certain circumstances develop where the sense of social, economic or political deprivation creates a feeling of hatred and resentment against the prevailing system. This is more common among young people compared to the older ones. Thus, such a population becomes an easy target for brain-washing by skillful propagandists. Religious doctrines promoting cults of self-righteousness, political rivalries leading to unresolved heated issues and concurrent manipulation leading to illegal pursuits and coercion by the influential and powerful, usually nurture terrorist activities. Normally, such activities are justified as rightful acts by ring leaders of the perpetrators and their unknown preachers. Secrecy remains a central trait of such neo-converts. Often brain-washing and propaganda affect the minds of these young people so drastically that they shed the fear of death or disability while carrying out extremist acts. When political process breaks down and a sense of aloofness increases from state affairs, a whole breed of extremists crops up. This regiment is quite capable of executing any kind of task. It will make a useful case study to see the impact of terrorism on a society where democracy has deep roots compared to the one where it has hardly germinated.

A dangerous factor that helps promote terrorism is the assumption that after committing the act, one can get away easily. This assumption evolves from several considerations. The perpetrators either consider law enforcement agencies as totally impotent or find out a way to successfully dodge them in their pursuit. An even worse case is that they manage to connive with the local grade officials/staff of law enforcement agencies to implement their plans.

Political patronage is another consideration. In the ‘80s, kidnapping for ransom was at its peak in Karachi and other parts of Sindh. Soon, it was found by law enforcement agencies that a powerful spiritual personality and his coterie were involved in the crime. Thus, after any report was filed, law enforcers and relatives of the concerned would contact that personality to help “lower down the amount”.

It is often found that the ruling political elite give a lot of latitude to their youth or militant wings who do not stop short of carrying out any kind of mission. Neither the establishment nor the political leadership is able to curtail such fire-brand zealots. The cold-blooded murder of many policemen and political activists of a particular rank and file in Karachi display indicative clues to the authorities concerned to unravel the mystery.

In many situations, when an act of violence or terrorism occurs, the establishment instantly points its finger towards a foreign hand. With very few exceptions, that foreign hand has never been detected. The reasons are quite different from this initial assumption. Internal rifts among gangs, clashes and attempts of a clash between armed wings of different religious or ethnic parties/groups, the clandestine hand of the pro-establishment elements and planted agents of any inside or outside group connection with such elements, can cause urban violence.

The physical structure and form of the city or neighbourhood also affect its peace and tranquillity. There are several factors that contribute to urban violence and give rise to terrorist activities. And accessibility and openness of neighbourhood is a vital one. From the physical planning’s perspective, accessibility to an area refers to the available choices of entry-points, routes and exit-points. This has to be rationally provisioned. A populous area with very few entry-points can become a victim of terrorism. In December 1986, Aligarh Colony, Qasba Colony, Frontier Colony and Orangi Town were practically cut off from the city when barbaric terrorists unleashed their wrath. Thousands of innocent lives were lost. Similarly, limited accessibility to Landhi and Korangi gave rise to the ‘no-go-area’ syndrome.

There are many conditions pertinent to accessibility. Narrow winding streets with unpredictable layouts; recurring cul-de-sacs; dissimilarity of street pattern and layout; and poor road conditions that disrupt vehicular access and absence of street light/visibility, adversely affect accessibility. At present, Khwaja Ajmer Nagri, Ittehad Town in Baldia and Gulshan-i-Bihar in Orangi are a few examples of settlements with constrained physical access. No wonder that the names of these localities keep surfacing in violence-related incidents.

Uneven density and scattered urban structures also become problem-points and hideouts for criminals. As much as 50 per cent of the urban population in Karachi resides in katchi abadis. These settlements have undergone tremendous transformation over a period of time. What began as desperate attempts to squat for survival evolved into a profitable development enterprise. First generation katchi abadis are now becoming dense in a haphazard manner. In the absence of development control and thrust of informal developers, neighbourhoods of poor quality have developed. Khadda in Lyari, an informal settlement, has as high as 10-storey apartment blocks on 60sq.yds plots. Liaquatabad has stretched into Gujjar Nallah as a consequence of a totally haywire land settlement. Unprecedented densification is a first step towards ghettoization of a locality. White-collar families tend to leave such areas which become infested with hooligans, shady characters and outlaws. After this exodus, such localities become criminals’ permanent abode.

Persisting defects in settlement patterns are another potential cause for breeding terrorism. In urban planning convention, the rich reside in the outer ring of the city. Due to better means of commuting, overall affluence and reasonable affordability, the rich can move around freely to all parts of the city, including the city centre. Lower middle and lower income groups either reside close to their places of work or inside the inner ring of the city. A better means of public transport and less expenditure on commuting provide relief to such classes.

Karachi represents a bizarre scenario. Affluent localities lie in the inner zone of the city — not beyond a five-kilometre radius. The poor live as far away as 30 kilometres from the city centre and major locations of employment. Large scale wholesale markets still remain in the old city centre with virtually no possibility of additional space and smooth operations. As per norm, such market places need to be re-sited in the sub-urban belt. Due to their unwanted presence in the proximity of the city centre, a number of anti-social activities evolve. Transporters, labourers, accompanying wanderers, middlemen and other kind of ‘single-male’ intruders roam around unchecked. So, the possibility of entering the city for outlaws/terrorists becomes very high.

In this regard, information and data related to urban activities are also vital and must be built up and periodically updated. This is necessary for multifarious functions. Demographic data, inter and intra-neighbourhood migrations, locational data, maps and plans, density and building profiles, employment and settlement details are important categories of information, both for urban planning and security monitoring. For instance, illegal supply of arms and explosives is the central cause of many acts of terrorism. Suicidal attacks; planted bombs; unprecedented ambushes; sudden ransacking and pillage of public property; target killings and car explosions are the most familiar formats of urban terrorism in Karachi. Obviously, they are committed by human beings, not by angels. Information related to such activities must be gathered.

Bearing the enormity of the city in mind, it appears virtually impossible to locate each and every weapon which is in custody of potential terrorists or the general public. However, if this process starts from the scale of union council, the task can be dealt with precision. The reasonable success of the Citizen Police Liaison Committee in dealing with car snatching and kidnapping for ransom could only be made possible through a skillful use of information. Applying the same to routine policing and local scale urban management is the need of the hour. And in this respect, unwavering political will and continued administrative support are the main pre-requisites.

In dealing with these issues, urban planning as a professional discipline can be of tremendous help. It can act as a support service in combating terrorism and urban violence to a considerable extent. This can be approached is many ways.

Mapping terrorism can help identify the routes and locations where such activities have been taking place. In-depth analysis can certainly lead to the clues behind such dastardly acts. A trend analysis of urban violence and terrorism can also be done through locational studies. It can lead to the patterns and the underlying reasons behind them in a step-by-step manner.

Continuous build-up of an information base pertinent to urban changes is an effective means to prevent violence. Law enforcing agencies can use such information to identify the culprits and nab them before any incident takes place.

In order to involve different communities so that the goal of enhanced security and sharing of responsibility can be achieved, community policing may be encouraged. At an informal level, it has proved very successful against the bandits in the remote areas of Orangi. It can be applied anywhere.

And in order to mitigate damages, parking must be separated from built structures, at least around sensitive locations. Recent bomb blasts have proved the involvement of stolen cars/motor bikes in such a crime. A car/bike tracking system appears to be a must in the near future. Technology can certainly prevent vehicles from being used for destructive purposes. And above all, conscious urban planning can provide a comprehensive framework to manage existing urban areas and develop future zones in a rational manner.