by Ahmed Humayun and Ali Jafri
Download the Full Article: Karachi's Ethnic Tinderbox
Over the last month, Karachi- Pakistan's largest city and the center of its commercial and financial life - has witnessed its worst ethnic violence in years. On October 16 a wave of targeted ethnic killings began rolling across the city; four days later, more than 60 people were dead and Karachi had come to a standstill. Since then, the city has been teetering on the brink of even more bloodshed. Why is this violence erupting now?
The proximate cause is straightforward. On August 2nd, Raza Haider, a senior leader of the Muttahida Qaumi Movement (MQM) and a member of the Sindh provincial assembly, was assassinated. The MQM blamed Haider's death on its political rival, the Awami National Party (ANP). The MQM primarily caters to the interests of the Urdu-speaking Muhajir group while the ANP draws support from Pashtun constituencies. After Haider's demise, the MQM argued that the city's law enforcement agencies were biased against Muhajirs and deliberately not capturing the perpetrators of the murder. On October 16, a bye-election for the assembly seat left vacant by Haider's death was to be held, which prompted the recent spate of tit-for-tat killings.
Download the Full Article: Karachi's Ethnic Tinderbox
Ahmed Humayun is Senior Analyst at Georgetown University's Emerging Threats Project, and Ali Jafri is an Analyst at the Project. The Emerging Threats Project examines the key drivers of conflict in regions of critical interest to the United States.
