A NEW and dangerous form of violence was seen in Karachi on Tuesday when a political rally was fired upon, leading to widespread acts of arson, vandalism and at least 11 deaths. Barring some minor incidents, political rallies in Karachi have by and large been peaceful. But in this case, the rally, whose participants were protesting against what they saw as a move to divide Sindh, was targeted indiscriminately by gunmen. Unless checked, there is a fearful possibility that Tuesday’s blood-letting could set a precedent for a new pattern of violence endangering Karachi’s political culture. A large number of protesters had come from the interior of Sindh. This is nothing new as protesters from the interior have often converged in Karachi to air their grievances, without causing any trouble. And yet, given the fraught times we live in, the police and Rangers should have been extra vigilant. That they should have been caught napping instead speaks volumes for the low priority they attach to the current circumstances. Aware that the rally by the Sindhi nationalist Awami Tehrik was to be taken out from Lyari, which has seen recurring trouble for the last many months and where the law-enforcement apparatus itself has been undertaking ‘operations’ to cleanse the area of criminals, why could the police force not have been more alert? That the controversial Amn Committee was also participating was another element that should have been factored in. Given the recent bad blood over the ‘Mohajir’ province issue, it is hard to believe that the presence of dangerous elements would not have occurred to the police.

There is speculation now as to who the gunmen were — political activists, criminals or mysterious hirelings determined to trigger a new round of bloodletting? Because the rally was against Sindh’s administrative bifurcation on ethnic lines, the kind of violence seen near Lyari and other parts of the old city has the potential to snowball unless all political parties and elements join hands to pre-empt it. The violence has led to a blame game. All sides should realise that even the slightest of provocations can ignite the Sindh tinderbox.