Militancy back with a bang

By Asfand Niazi

A wolf in a sheepskin does not become a sheep. It is and always shall remain a wolf. Without drawing parallels with any individual party leader, that in a nutshell is what the MQM has proved itself to be. Many thought the MQM had actually matured into a political party, grown some tolerance for the opposition and learnt the ropes of conducting politics without wielding lethal weapons. Instead, in just one day they undid their image makeover and proved otherwise. I hope this serves as a wake up call to the people of Karachi, whether they speak Sindhi, Pashto or Balochi and especially Urdu.

The party image regressed to what it used to be. A party that gained notoriety on account of its gun fighting years, a party that sowed the seeds of ethnicity in what was, before the APMSO was given the right kind of patronage, a united Karachi notwithstanding all its Urdu-speaking stakeholders. Most of all the MQM is a party that has an inherently undemocratic set up within its own ranks, where a British national of Pakistani origin pulls the strings of party leaders from across the seven seas. To the extent that when he says, "Jump!" they all probably want to know how high.

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