by MARCO MEZZERRA
PHOTO/PPI/Demotix Image
Karachi’s astonishing violence is generally ascribed to political and ethnic rivalry. While this may be true to an extent, its roots run deep into the incredibly complex structure of this city of 18 million people, where politicians, criminals, terrorists and migrants from nearby warzones compete for power and survival.
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The incredible growing pace of Karachi’s population, with between 200,000 and 500,000 new migrants arriving in the city every year from within and outside the country, has placed huge constraints on the municipal planning and development authorities’ capacity to organize necessary infrastructure and services.
Large squatter settlements and slums have arisen throughout the city, currently housing about five million people in conditions of illegality. This institutional vacuum has been filled by some of the 200 criminal gangs operating in Karachi and by the numerous special interest groups, whether political, ethnic or sectarian, to which individuals look for protection. Faced with a lack of basic services, the squatters turn to criminal syndicates to get a plot of land allocated, and subsequently to receive the utilities for their households. A booming land-grabbing business has emerged, accompanied by lucrative and illegal delivery of essential services. Competition for control of these areas and of their businesses triggers turf wars between rival mafias, while law enforcers and administrators are silenced through corruption.
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(Thanks to Robin Khundkar)