Politics of a diatribe
by
Javed Hafiz |
Former Pakistan minister’s stunning emotional outburst intriguing
Dr Zulfiqar Mirza’s outburst at the Karachi Press Club has left everybody stunned. People were used to his occasional emotional diatribes but this one broke all previous records. Mirza is not an ordinary person. He is son of a retired Supreme Court judge, husband of the incumbent Speaker of the National Assembly and President Asif Ali Zardari’s buddy from school days.
He resigned from his position as a senior minister in Sindh, two party positions, Sindh assembly seat and vowed to quit politics. He issued a long charge-sheet against the Muttehida Qaumi Movement (MQM) and held Federal Interior Minister Rehman Malik responsible for the misfortunes of Karachi.
Karachi has been on fire for quite a while now. This is due to a bloody turf war for supremacy in this mega city. Muhajirs constitute a simple majority here but have more than 90 per cent Karachi seats in the parliament. Pushtoons constitute 16 per cent of the city population but their representation in parliament is far below the population ratio. On the other hand, the Muhajirs are under represented in government jobs due to the quota system. Dr Mirza has said that during his tenure as home minister of Sindh he did not employ a single MQM cadre in the Karachi police. If the idea was to induct only apolitical individuals then did he apply the same principle to the Peoples’ Party cadres as well?
Karachi is a divided city, both along ethnic and communal lines. It is true that only certain areas, mostly poor and multi-ethnic, are prone to violence. It is also true that affluent localities in Karachi are still safe. But that is hardly a solace. No man is an island and no one can completely isolate himself from his surroundings. It is an ugly fact that Karachites now are reluctant to talk to strangers in the city, out of fear. It is also a fact that property prices in Lahore are shooting up due to insecurity in Karachi.
But let us try to find some method in Mirza’s madness. It is generally believed that his tongue lashing against the MQM could not have been without prior approval of the presidency. But the presidency has disowned Mirza’s statement, dubbing it as his personal views. So is the drama real or mere theatrics for public consumption? After all, why did Mirza have to hold the Holy Quran while stating that the MQM was part of an international conspiracy to dismember Pakistan. He had to take that ultimate step because of his low credibility.
Not long ago, Mirza used to waive the Sindh card ever so frequently. This time around, he would like us to believe his statement as a Muslim and truly patriotic Pakistani. Has he really changed his stripes? Political analysts are of the view that Mirza’s latest outburst should not be rejected out of hand. No Muslim would tell lies in the month of Ramadan holding the Holy Quran.
Recently the Peoples’ Party had decided to revive the Commissionerate System in Sindh. This was a red rag to the MQM as its supremacy in Karachi and Hyderabad was threatened. MQM literally brought Karachi to a grinding halt and several people were killed in a couple of days. Seeing that MQM possessed a very strong political muscle in Karachi, the government made a u-turn restoring the elected local bodies’ system in Karachi and Hyderabad.
MQM had clearly won this round and now the nationalist parties in interior Sindh were up in arms. In a call for strike, they brought rural Sindh to a complete halt. Peoples’ Party’s stronghold was slipping away. This latest political hurricane unleashed by Mirza appears like an attempt to regain that lost political ground. It is not yet clear whether he is doing that for the Peoples’ Party or for himself.
Unfortunately all political parties patronise their own criminal gangs in Karachi. They are allegedly involved in extortion and murder. When a contingent of Rangers entered Lyari a few days back, Mirza felt bad. While he was delivering his frenzied diatribe , Mirza’s Lyari supporters were chanting slogans in his favour. I would not be surprised if Mirza contests the next elections from Lyari in addition to his native Badin. This episode has increased Mirza’s political popularity and placed MQM on the back-foot. I do not take his vow to quit politics seriously. His tongue lashing against Rehman Malik is a result of a clash of roles. Mirza apparently wanted to handle Karachi single handedly.
All major opposition parties have demanded a national commission to investigate Mirza’s allegations. Government has refused, citing protection of official secrets. It does not want MQM on the wrong side in order to win the senate elections. Again the national interest has fallen prey to the party interest. |
Other comment for Javed Hafiz
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