BY

M A J Y D A Z I Z

The United States has been profoundly moved with the "extremely disturbing turn" in the Karachi situation and has strongly urged the Benazir government and the MQM to immediately resume negotiations so that a political agreement is mutually arrived at. Nicholas Burns, the State Dept. spokesman, released a press statement on December 11, which stated that "we are deeply concerned by the escalating violence in Karachi and particularly by the sharp increase in reported extra-judicial killings, extortion, and custodial deaths by security forces". This statement came in the wake of a strong, candid presentation made by Assistant Secretary of State, Robin Raphel, to the Asia-Pacific Sub-Committee of the US Congress.

The State Dept.’s statement observed that Karachi’s political violence has claimed more than 1800 lives in this year alone and the trend is moving towards targeted killing of the relatives of top government officials and politicians. It further added that the US deplores these senseless murders and continues to believe that the best way to end this impasse and to cease the violence is for both parties to sit on the bargaining table immediately.

No sooner did the condemnation come into print, the Benazir government, hurried with an "interference in internal affairs" criticism. Justifying its policies, the Foreign Office spokesman said that the violence perpetrated by the terrorists (Read "Altaf Group" in the minds of the PM, CM, and Babar) was being brought under control by the strong measures taken by the government. He further added that "there have been no custodial deaths or extra-judicial killings". He then rambled on with the usual bureaucratic hogwash for which the FO is famous.

A couple of days later, the Prime Minister met President Leghari and discussed the US concern over the Karachi imbroglio. She reiterated the position of her government that MQM was involved in violation of Human Rights, that there were no custodial deaths, and that contrary to US assertion, no area in Karachi was under the control of MQM. Recently, she told some delegation that MQM’s popularity in Karachi has nose-dived from a high of over 80% to the present 50% something (the ostrich syndrome --- once again !).

Naturally, the US rejected Pakistan’s accusation of interference in the internal affairs of a sovereign country, and also added that it does not want to turn this into a public debate. The relevant quarters, however, pointed out that the issue of Human Rights will figure prominently in the various Congressional hearings. There is this feeling that the Congressmen and Senators will take a highly charged view over the allegations related to the human rights record of the Benazir government. It seems that the honeymoon is over and the goodwill generated during her last sojourn to Washington may become what the French refer to as ‘merde’.

The MQM team in USA is doing a formidable job in highlighting the atrocities committed on the Mohajir community and this exercise is getting tremendous mileage in the corridors of Capitol Hill and at Foggy Bottom. The barrage of video tapes, printed material, testimonies, photographs, etc are proving to be a major source of embarrassment for Islamabad and effectively belies the posture adopted by the Interior Minister and other senior officials of the law-enforcing agencies.

The American concern reminds one of the statement made by the State Dept. spokesman to a planted question a few months ago when the institution of a sedition case against Leader of the Opposition, Nawaz Sharif, was perceived by Washington as being a serious attack on the democratic norms. The net result was that this case has been dispatched to gather dust in the Law Ministry and the Benazir government pragmatically paid heed to the US apprehensions.

It can be further said here that the State Dept. issues it’s annual report on Human Rights on almost all countries in the early part of January every year. The country report on Pakistan is eagerly awaited, and is to be issued in the later part of January or early February. The report for 1994 was tough on the human rights abuses here. The report for the year 1995 may be very critical of the human rights situation in Pakistan and there is every inclination of it being extremely damaging to the present administration.

The lame assertion by the Foreign Office and even by the Prime Minister that the State Dept. statement is an interference in internal affairs of the country can be dismissed as "where’s the beef ?" The government had overplayed the US yatra of the Prime Minister and also the President’s detour to Washington during his joy-ride to Boston to attend his son’s graduation. When the Brown Amendment was approved, the government celebrated as if the World Cup was won again. When the Clinton administration comes out with a supportive statement, the lackeys and sycophants who surround the Prime Minister go gaga, and the press releases and official media describe this benevolence as proof that Pakistan is the blue-eyed favorite of the White House.

The US has faced a hard time in Karachi, which is evident by the gruesome murders of two of its personnel and injury to the third. It had to take extreme measures such as declaring the important Karachi Consulate as an "employees only" post. It transferred the very busy Consular section to Lahore (which, by the way, has added a lot to the misery of the Karachiites). Is it any wonder then that the American’s worried concern was an interference in Pakistan’s affairs ? Karachi is no ordinary City. Karachi is no more a serene metropolis. Karachi is burning. It is an inferno and there seems to be no indication of any official fire-fighting equipment to douse the blaze.

The fact of the matter is that the Prime Minister is totally convinced that her policy regarding Karachi is absolutely the right way and that whatever steps being taken will bear the desired results. However, that is her opinion and that is her viewpoint. The fact of the matter is that inspite of barricades and sieges of various localities, inspite of the banning of modern instruments of communications, inspite of the arrests of thousands of innocent citizens, and inspite of the hoopla created by the government, Karachi is seething in the cauldron which is brimming with violence, terror, and insecurity.

The Karachiites are extremely moved with the American concern for their disturbed City. They are sure that this will put into the heart of the ruler and her cohorts that it is time to seriously get away from political mumbo-jumbo and political convenience, and sincerely undertake the mission to solve the Karachi situation in the true spirit of conciliation, trust, and brotherhood. Do not be carried away with the idea that Karachi is a PPP city or MQM city or PML city. Karachi is Pakistan whether one cares or not. One is reminded of a famous American song by Bobby Dylan :

"How many deaths will it take till [s]he knows,

That too many people have died.

The answer, my friend, is Blowing in the Wind.

The answer is Blowing in the Wind."