Ethnic tensions grip Karachi

KARACHI - Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) has been facing hard times as its two coalition partners appeared to be at daggers drawn on issues like allegations of Talibanisation in the City and surging activities of land mafia.

For the last two weeks MQM, a major coalition partner in Sindh, is repeatedly raising its concerns about Talibanisation in the City and had warned that if steps were not taken immediately, the fire, which currently engulfing NWFP, may reach Karachi. But representatives of ANP, the junior partner in the Sindh coalition, are vehemently denying that there was any sort of Talibanisation present in Karachi.

These statements and accusations are coming from the two allies of the government and which is making political waves and commotion in the PPP which find it hard to keep balance between the two.

However, recent past history of the City suggests that any tension between the residents of the City had only raised political temperatures which resulted into killing and worsening of law and order situation.

Sindh had witnessed blood bath in the name of ethnic strife that turned into a conflagration in the 70s, 80s and 90s due to the follies of previous governments.