A golden opportunity

Positive signs have appeared on the political horizon of Pakistan following the statements of the ANP and the MQM to bury the hatchet and start from a clean slate to restore peace to strife-torn Karachi after tremendous blood letting which has claimed several hundreds of precious human lives. The frenzy shook the foundation of the nascent democratic process when the Army's top leadership expressed deep concern over the rapidly deteriorating Karachi situation but stopped short of intervention.The announcement of a ceasefire came from Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Chief Minister Ameer Haider Hoti and was positively responded to by the MQM. Later, the MQM Quaid withdrew his statement against ANP leader Asfandyar Wali, and the ANP leadership responded positively. However, the deep-rooted animosity between the two arch rivals has given rise to suspicions about their good intentions in the future.The dramatic announcements caught political observers off guard and they were flabbergasted and did not see even remote chances of a rapprochement between the ANP and the MQM, whose trigger happy activists fought on the streets of Karachi turning them into pools of innocent blood.The conflict between the two parties took an ugly turn when the ANP sided with former Sindh home minister Dr Zulfiqar Mirza when he launched a tirade against the MQM and levelled serious charges against it. This alliance produced serious repercussion and added fuel to the fire. The MQM, finding itself in a precarious position with its back to the wall, launched a counter offensive against the ANP. Blood continued to be shed and soon packed bodies began to appear in different areas of the city, The Kati Pahari area became the battlefield where the Pakhtuns perched on the hill were accused by the MQM of targeting Orangi Town residents. This sent shock waves throughout Pakistan. The government failed to control the situation and the law enforcement agencies became just silent spectators. When the pressure became unbearable, the provincial government finally gave in and deployed the Rangers who restored law and order to some extent with intermittent violent incidents. But the question is: who put his foot down saying enough is enough. Did the army leaders intervene forcing the ANP and the MQM to come to terms and stop the bloodshed? Or did the Supreme Court's suo moto proceedings have a soothing effect forcing both the parties to lay down the arms to save the future of millions who are daily wagers? Whatever may be the case, Karachi is at peace for the moment.Will the ceasefire between the two rivals last? That is a big question markNo doubt the Pakhtuns have played an important role in the development of the Sindh capital, but they should own the city too. The ANP and the MQM will have to rein in their activists and help restore the status of Karachi as the city of lights. Otherwise this God-given opportunity will never be there and the sapling of democracy will wither away spelling disaster for everyone.The government cannot be absolved of its responsibility to maintain harmony among different segments of the population. Equal opportunities will have to be provided to all without discrimination as guaranteed in the ConstitutionThe Supreme Court verdict has been reserved but the apex court judges have made their observations very clear. Karachi contributes nearly 70 percent revenue to the national exchequer. God forbid if something tragic happens, the nation will suffer an irreparable loss which could jeopardize national defence, and the defenders of the national frontiers certainly will not tolerate it because for them the country is supreme and not politics. All political parties will have to rise to the occasion and play their positive role for ensuring permanent peace in Karachi.