ANOTHER operation to wipe out lawbreakers in Karachi is on the cards. Only time will tell as to what extent the operation will be fruitful.

However, some ground realities show that the result will not be much different from the past because of the distrust among the stakeholders, political compromises and some other reasons.

The blame game between the MQM and the provincial government before starting the operation shows that like in the past this operation too will cause hatred among different sections of society.

Already there are several reasons for the unrest in Karachi. It would thus be a Herculean task to restore peace to it. The city has multi-ethnic and multi-lingual groups. Hence, the conflict of interest and race among them to grab more and more resources for survival. Karachi has turned into a battlefield.

It is an established truth that armed wings of political parties exist and they are at war to get the control of the whole city.

Land-grabbers, extortionists, kidnappers and other criminal groups are also a big reason for the deteriorating law and order situation. These groups have political support and, therefore, a crackdown on them is not an easy task.

Presence of sectarian and banned organisation in the city is another factor of disturbance because these organisations are not only involved in kidnapping for ransom, but they are also allegedly involved in targeted killings in the name of religion.Easy availability of arms is adding fuel to fire. The armed groups have modern and sophisticated weapons which are used in bloodshed. They have strong links with political parties and are beyond the grip of the law.

Another reason of turmoil is interference by foreign forces in the city. According to former interior minister Rehman Malik, Israeli weapons are coming into Karachi.

Karachi is the economic engine of Pakistan. It generates two-thirds of revenue of the country. A stable Karachi means prosperous and strong Pakistan, while instability in the city means a financially weak and fragile country.

So, the forces which do not want to see Pakistan strong always remain busy creating a law and order situation in the city.

Political compromises have also played a role in making the situation so bad that now every day innocent people, in double figures, are killed in the streets for no reason while killers remain at large owing to their political affiliations.

The operation can be successful if it is free from political interference, otherwise there will be no end to bloodletting.

ASIM IQBAL
Rawalpindi