KARACHI: For a city known for its wanton violence followed by shaky calm, Karachi is a volatile place to live, with Lyari being its deep, dark underbelly. While an operation against criminal elements was carried out by the Rangers last week, oblivious to the law and order situation, kids as young as six were busy playing ‘gang war’ in Lyari.

“The daily happenings are taking a toll and the worst affected are the children, who are slowly and gradually absorbing the violence in the area,” says Namira Ahmed. A school teacher at a government run school in Lyari, she says that often her students come to the class “armed with toy guns.”

“They consider it very macho to display guns and take pride in playing the robbers than the cops,” added.

Gambling Pays, Gang War Rocks!

For the children of Lyari, their favourite game is ‘gang war’. “I don’t talk. My gun does!”

This line pretty much sums up the attitude of the youngsters who have seen the harsh realities of life from a young age. For an area once known for its vibrant subculture, guns, gambling and drugs have taken over. Given the abject poverty and lack of opportunities, it’s the youngsters who suffer the most.

It is not unusual to see children in this part of the town spending their pocket money on gambling, buying toy guns and in extreme cases drugs.

“The guns we are carrying include Beretta 9MM, TT pistol, Škorpion vz. 61, Mauser guns, AK-47 and M4,” said a group of young boys, as they excitedly showed off the plastic replicas of various automatic weapons while standing next to a rakku table.

Rakku, a game played by rolling the dice, is one of the favourites when it comes to gambling. Each and every street in Lyari has at least one rakku spot where a group of young and old can be seen trying their luck in search of money.

Bilal, a 7-year-old boy from Kumhar wara, Lea Market is addicted to playing the game. “I once won Rs 500 while playing rakku. I can even win more if I keep on playing,” he says.

The son of a pan wala who barely makes Rs. 250 a day, the boy was thrilled at the money he won and was happy buying new guns with it.

Salal, another 7-year-old kid, also loves to play rakku and is the proud owner of five toy guns. “We play gang war and its fun firing at each other. Whosoever manages to snatch the guns from the rival party is declared a winner,” he says innocently.

Bilal and Salal along with their cousin Osama, 9 and his friend Hameed, 6 are regular rakku players and hope to win ‘big money’.

“I want to become a ‘Lala' (a gang leader) so that I can earn Rs.2000 to Rs.3000 a day and can change the fate of my family,” says Salal.

These are just few of the young kids who are embracing the culture of gang war and gambling and are likely to end up using recreational drugs.

Salal’s mother complained, “There is no writ of the government in Lyari and the future of our children is bleak. No one cares about us or our children.”

Too Soon, Too Late

Watching violence closely, the kids in this area have been left confused and frustrated. Experts say that the area has been demonised deliberately.

“Lyari’s social problems have increased manifold during the last decade. Small time drug peddlers have turned into big gangsters and what they are doing is considered acceptable. The authorities should look into Lyari’s problems on an urgent basis. It’s already too late and time is running out for Lyari’s youth,” says Dr. Saleem Azam, president of Pakistan Society, an NGO working for the rehabilitation of drug addicts.

“A vacuum has developed in Lyari. The local authorities have no access and say when it comes to law and order and this vacuum has been filled by gangsters. If the situation is not controlled by the authorities, Lyari’s children will be caught in a never ending cycle of drug addiction and violent compulsive behavior,” he adds.

“The so called godfathers of Lyari, the gangsters who are running all kinds of drugs and gambling dens, are ruling our lives and spoiling the future of our youth,” said a resident of Lyari on the condition on anonymity.

“There are rakku dens in each and every street of Lyari. The young and old alike are addicted to this game. They all hope that they will strike gold, which in this case happens to be a sum of Rs. 1500 to 2000. It’s a sad sight to see that every teenager in Lyari has been given a gun to run the gambling business,” he added.

Guns Mean ‘Power’

“Guns have become a symbol of power and autonomy for these innocent souls,” says Professor Haroon, a renowned psychologist. Talking about the various factors leading to the use of guns, he says, “The increasing use of fire-arms, media depiction of violence, deteriorating law and order situation and culprits glorified as heroes and roaming free are some of the reasons that influence these young minds.”

Presenting a worrisome sight, Professor Haroon does provide a solution. “While trying to restore peace, the government must promote a gun-free environment. Secondly, parents must advise their young ones to detest the everyday violence that afflicts our society and refrain from glorifying gun wielding men as heroes and saviors.”

China Maal In Abundance

The shops in the area are filled with cheap plastic toys, most of them from China. “A TT pistol toy costs around Rs. 70 and a Kalashnikov makes a good bargain at Rs. 200. These toy guns are selling like hot cakes,” said Ramzan, a shopkeeper.

When questioned about why the young boys in the area demanded guns that looked like the “real thing”, Ahmed, a local activist said, “The boys want to grow up and be providers for their families. To them, the lala in the lane is no less than a hero. They try to talk like him and even imitate his tone of voice. So for them, carrying a weapon, a toy gun in this case is something that makes them feel manly.”

“The worst part is that China ka maal makes it possible for these boys to come a step closer to their dreams. I just wish the Chinese would send some educators our way and help us build some parks and recreational centres. Would be great if they could help sort out our problems rather than give our kids guns to play with,” he said sarcastically.