Sectarian Violence ... Firqawarana Fasadat
I once read in a book that South Asian cities have a certain feeling. The heat, humidity, noise and the crowds keep everyone at an edge. Tempers are kept at the tip of boiling over. This gives South Asian cities the feel of a virtual tinderbox ever ready to explode. Sporadic outbursts of unrest from time to time are a way of things in South Asian cities. This is further accentuated by the hetrogenous / cosmopolitan character of South Asian cities with religions, sects, languages, ethnicities and communities dividing the people into groups. After living in Karachi for about an year I have to admit that this is very right.

There are regular religious processions held by different religious groups, sectarian groups, linguistic groups, ethnic groups and communal groups. These are the occasions when there is what is called by newspapers and official authorities "tension". It might not be evident how there is tension, but it is palpable. You can feel it in the air and in the way there are paramilitary and police forces on every corner. These are the occasions where there is a change of the match falling on the tinderbox.

On Friday there was an attack on a mosque. It was a suicide attack, it took place during the Jumma Jamaat (Friday Congregation) when the mosque was jampacked. GeoTv news channel immediate started showing the pictures of the carnage on tv. It was heart rending. One moment I am sitting in my room and reading the news. The next moment ammi calls me into the tv room and shows me what is going on. Then follows what is usually done at this time. Phone calls to all of our relatives who might have been there. A sequence of events we are very used to by now.

It was a shocking piece of news. We had grown to the city being slightly calm. Nothing had happened in quite some time. But it wasnt to be so. There was more madness in the future. Our lives were to be subject to more portrayals of animal passions in human bosoms. I think it is the price we pay for your collective illiteracy and our collective barbarity. We as a part of the body of citizens are as liable as any other part. It is a collective failure not an individual one. Why can we not understand that it is a collective responsibility and we are all to conduct our duties. And then we declare that we want democracy.

The events of Friday were followed by outbreaks of violence most parts of Karachi having large Shia neighbourhoods. The outburst of a minority community against what they see as the government's lack of seriousness. To be honest Shias have been a target of so much violence lately that I sympathize with them. It has come to a pass that the law of the jungle prevails and minorities are killed and the government looks about helpless. As helpless as a Dove in the clutches of a Hawk. In this situation people decide to pick up the sword/gun/rock and take into their own hands the right to right their wrongs.

Something that the government has forfeited by its incapability.

All through Friday and Saturday there was violence by mobs who wanted to vent their anger. Government offices were attacked. Petrol stations were set ablaze. Government cars were pelted with stones. In many different locations. On saturday things were worst. There was severe rioting in many parts of the city. One man was killed in the rioting. A very bad bad horrible development.

Violence in South Asian cities has two patterns. Either there is a massive outbreak of unrest followed by a curfew and then small outbreaks in the coming days in different parts of the city, eventually dying out. Or there is growing unrest with small incidents leading to bigger and bigger incidents and finally ending after too many horrors have been committed. The second one is what the city saw in the last decade. The first one is what we are seeing now.

Why cant these both end ?
- posted by aalahazrat @ 13:43