A NEW chapter was written in the blood-stained history of Karachi when blood was spilled and lives taken of the peaceful Bohra community.

The residents of Karachi will vouch that this apolitical community has been residing peacefully for ages. They have contributed immensely to business, industry and trade.

The evil of sectarian violence has gone beyond control. The government whose prime responsibility is to safeguard the lives and property of its citizens has utterly failed.

We consider ourselves lucky to have seen Pakistan free from strikes, sectarianism, kidnappings, and extortion and wanton killings. People from all caste and creed used to live in harmony.

All this changed with the arrival of Ziaul Haq. The seeds of hatred which were sown then are bearing fruits now. The killing of minorities, and of Muslims belonging to other sects or non-Muslims, is the order of the day. We have seen exodus of Hindus, Christians and Parsis. The systematic killings of the Hazara community are a recent example of this brutality.

The unwillingness of the government to tackle the situation can and will lead to a situation which will be nothing short of a civil war.

Let us make allout efforts to get rid of this menace. The government, the media, religious scholars and, above all, ordinary citizens must unite to defeat this mindset. Failure to do so shall result in mayhem too horrible to even imagine.

JAFFAR NAQVI     Lahore