Politics and Crime Plague Pakistan's Karachi

Violence, crime and murder mark the political strife in Pakistan's financial capital Karachi.

Criminal gangs, mafias, extortionists, drug lords, weapons dealers and land grabbers ruthlessly guard their turf, and in some cases are allegedly linked to political parties.

An outgunned and underfunded police force of just 33 thousand is in no position to take them on.

One morgue worker says he receives about 30 to 40 bodies in some weeks.

[Meraj Mohsin, Morgue Worker]:
"At times it happens that we are afraid when we are going to a place where there has been a killing or violence has taken place. We are afraid that we may be killed because of the language we speak. We do have that fear sometimes."

Some welcome the army on the streets to clean up the violence.

[Shahi Syed, Senior Official, Awami National Party]:
"We will be happy if the military comes to Karachi. I think the army should, across the board, take control of the arms of the land mafia, the drug mafia, the weapon mafia, and the father of all three, the extortionist mafia. They should take control and see what happens."

In some ways, Karachi raises more troubling questions over Pakistan's stability than the northwest border regions, seen as a global hub for militants.

In a brazen attack last week, a suspected Pakistan Taliban suicide car bombing demolished a crime investigation department compound where senior militants were interrogated. At least 18 people were killed and 100 wounded.

Last month, 13 shopkeepers and workers of a scrap market were killed in a single target-shooting incident carried out by a feared outlaw.

[Malik Zahid, President, Scrap Dealers Association]:
"The day after the incident, Mulla Raju threatened me and said, 'Whether we come today or after a month, we are coming again. This was a small trailer that we have shown you, the bigger trailer has yet to come, meaning that this time we killed only 13 people, next time we will kill 200.’"

Critics say politicians lack the will to stabilize Karachi.

The dominant MQM party and its rival, the ANP party, say some of their workers carry out targeted killings, but without their blessings, and accuse each other of starting them.

Karachi has a long history of ethnic, religious and sectarian violence. Hundreds of targeted killings this year have raised concerns that violence would escalate and create new crises.