KARACHI, Nov 16: The past few months have seen a disturbing rise in the number of politically-motivated killings in Karachi. And though there seems to be no end in sight to the spiral of deadly violence, various political parties with stakes in the city have expressed the desire to cleanse the metropolis of its countless guns.

Dawn talked to representatives of the parties which have considerable influence in the city for their thoughts on how to stem the political violence. Though all agreed on the single point of making the city weapons-free, their viewpoints on how to go about this seemingly impossible task varied greatly.

“The most important thing is to stop the supply of illegal weapons into Karachi. We have been demanding this. These weapons are not being manufactured in the city. There are no arms factories in Baldia Town or elsewhere in Karachi.

The arms suppliers and sellers must be dealt with. After that we can look at licensed weapons,” said Faisal Sabzwari, Sindh Minister for Youth Affairs and the Muttahida Qaumi Movement’s deputy parliamentary leader in the provincial assembly, when asked what needed to be done practically to weed out illegal weapons from the city.

“As for registered weapons, if a citizen is afraid of getting robbed on the street, we cannot stop him from obtaining legal arms. The government must set an example in this case” by establishing the writ of the law, the minister added.

However Amin Khattak, Sindh Secretary-General of the Awami National Party, which won seats for the first time in the provincial legislature in February’s elections and is a coalition partner in the Sindh government, has other ideas about silencing the guns of Karachi.

According to a report in the media, his party has suggested a two-pronged strategy: take stock of the licensed weapons first and then go after the illegal arms.

Talking to Dawn, he said the need of the hour was for political parties to put their heads together and come up with a strategy to make the city weapons-free.

“First, it must be found out from all parties – including the ANP – who received weapons on a political basis. Perhaps the (intelligence) agencies can be involved in helping trace the illegal weapons in the city. I think all political parties should get together to thrash out a de-weaponisation policy. This can be best achieved through the chief minister. We are ready to offer our services.”

‘A matter of tradition’

Asked where the weapons were coming from, the political actors also had divergent points of view.

“I think everybody knows that. They are probably coming from the tribal areas. But we behave like an ostrich and bury our heads in the sand when it comes to tackling this problem. It is said that bearing arms is a matter of ‘tradition.’ However, it is not our job to curb the manufacture of illegal arms. That is primarily the responsibility of the law enforcement agencies,” said Mr Sabzwari.

“There are many sources of weapons. Some are brought into the city from other nations. Many weapons date back to Gen Ziaul Haq’s ‘Jihad’ culture. When the Afghan refugees left, they sold off their weapons in Pakistan,” explained Mr Khattak.

The Pakistan People’s Party, which heads the coalition government in Sindh with its partners the MQM and ANP, had recently hinted at launching a drive against illegal arms along with its coalition partners.

The party’s Sindh Secretary-General Nafees Siddiqi and Karachi President Faisal Raza Abdi had been quoted as saying that they would put forth a proposal to declare Karachi an arms-free city.

Dawn tried to reach both leaders to inquire if any progress had been made on this front, but their phones were repeatedly found switched off. However, when the Adviser to the Chief Minister for Political Affairs Rashid Rabbani was asked to comment on efforts towards de-weaponisation, he played down the fact that political battles were being fought on the streets of Karachi and instead claimed that certain unnamed elements were trying to damage the democratic process.

“After a long struggle people have been brought on a single platform. I don’t think any political or religious party would indulge in such activities. There is a sense of harmony prevailing amongst the PPP, MQM and ANP, the three major political forces in the city. However, certain elements might be trying to create a rift.”

It remains to be seen how sincere Karachi’s political actors are in their stated desires to rid the city of its guns. This debate takes an even more serious turn when the re-emergence of proscribed militant outfits is factored in.

The reappearance of certain sectarian organizations banned during the Pervez Musharraf era – manifested through public rallies and provocative graffiti – should alert those in the corridors of power to take action and initiate a serious drives against illegal arms, if a return to the bad old days of the 1990s, marked by internecine bloodletting, are to be avoided.

However, as some observers have noted, the chances of the city’s political players turning their guns into ploughshares don’t seem too bright, given the circumstances.