Eyewitness: Karachi, May 12, 2007

Beena,
What a one-sided and obviously biased account of this unfortunte and terrible tragedy? Shame on you for being so blatantly opinionated.

Here is something from Dawn that presents a totally different picture:

May 20, 2007 Sunday Jamadi-ul-Awwal 03, 1428

KARACHI: Muttahida screens footage of violence
By Our Staff Reporter

KARACHI, May 19: Holding opposition parties responsible for the May 12 bloodshed, the Muttahida Qaumi Movement on Saturday screened video footage showing opposition workers using lethal weapons, damaging and setting fire to vehicles.

The footage, titled “A Bitter Truth”, was screened at a press conference held here at the party’s headquarters, Nine Zero.

MQM leaders Faisal Subzwari and Haider Rizvi said the purpose of screening the video footage was to show the other side of the story through the media.

Mr Subzwari pinpointed PPP leaders Sherry Rehman and Naveed Qamar, who were seated in a jeep bearing registration number BD-1820. The jeep was surrounded by armed PPP workers who resorted to indiscriminate firing near the COD Bridge on Drigh Road and later torched vehicles belonging to the MQM workers.

According to him, the jeep was registered in the name of Nadeem Hussain, Ms Rehman’s husband.

Mr Subzwari also pinpointed armed workers of the Pakistan People’s Party, Awami National Party and Jamaat-i-Islami in the footage targeting MQM rallies, beating up party workers at the Jinnah Postgraduate Medical Centre and damaging vehicles. Armed activists of Islami Jamiat Talba were also shown in the footage threatening policemen at JMPC to leave the hospital.

On Sharea Faisal, armed workers of the ANP were seen firing indiscriminately near Aisha Bawani College. At the COD Bridge, ANP workers were shown damaging a vehicle (AC-1660) and throwing a PPP flag on the vehicle, giving an impression as if the vehicle owned by PPP workers was being damaged by MQM activists.

The 10-minute footage also contained shots of a peaceful MQM rally which came under heavy fire near Patel Para.

Mr Rizvi and Mr Subzwari demanded an independent inquiry into the violent incidents.

MQM coordination committee joint in charge Abdul Haseeb and other members were also present.

The terror unleashed by NaPak fouj and their fascist allies MQM on the oppressed people of Pakistan, makes the sad day of 5/12 as a milestone in the people`s struggle for democracy and rule of law in this country. The history of 5/12 that Beena has so courageously documented will forever define the future of this country.

Thank you Beena

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Beena,
I am very disappointed in this terribly-biased, politically-tainted, and totally one-dimensional article. Please have the common sense and decency to present BOTH sides of the carnage and BOTH sides of who did what. If the CJ`s supporters (ANP, PPI, PPP, ML(N) ) were all that ``peaceful,`` why were they armed?

Author,

The most graphic account I have read so far anywhere. Thanks.

May 12 was one of the two darkest days in the history of this country (the other being the hanging of ZAB) which will have far-reaching and durable consequences.

Regards.

law enforcement agencies have stood by and even participated in worse massacres elsewhere, like Northern Ireland and Gujarat, India.


funny how pakis never mention bangladesh and the hundreds of thousands killed there..

look pakis..face it..the violence was by your army..and it`s B team...the same army you cheered on in 1999..the one led by the general whose commando fatigues you told us we should be in awe of...and how he was going to prevail over the dhoti wearing vajpayee and make kashmir banega pakiland and pakiland banega silicon valley...

#431 by Salim_Chauhan (carried over from Tariq Ali Board)

Beena`s account is rather one-sided and very opinionated.

I don`t see Beena stating her own opinion anywhere above. Do you? She`s just stating eyewitness testimonies and newspaper accounts alongwith sources. How many eyewitness accounts do you want to challenge?

Dear writer,

Hardly anything original, much of the articel is a rehash of other journalistic reports. Having said that, truly tragic, reprehensible act that could have been avoided.

What I would like our human right activists, paragons of democracy to try and report on the affairs of Wazirastan, Bannu, Swat, Fata.

Ms Beena, try riding a motorbike in Fata land or better try walking as a journalist in the land of pure and IF u ever come back in one piece then your self-righteous proclamation may have some weight.

Regards

[If the CJ`s supporters (ANP, PPI, PPP, ML(N) ) were all that ``peaceful,`` why were they armed?]

...knowing the reputation of MQM , anybody with the least bit of common sense would attend any political rally armed to the teeth if it`s against the interest of MQM ...prolly, you have not been to karachi for the last twenty years...

#8
here is the gameplan...since it`s worse in other areas..therefore, why talk only about karachi...or MQM...;)

Arjun bhai,

(funny how pakis never mention bangladesh and the hundreds of thousands killed there.. )

They were just improving the race there.

Regards

The MQM is certainly not the only party that wields arms in Karachi - its rivals are hardly Gandhian in their outlook, which is what it would require to remain unarmed and peaceful in the face of the threat that day.

But MQM is the most dominant party in Karachi - and it forms Government. Therefore it has a responsibility to maintain peace. It was the Government that disarmed most of the city`s police force that day and ordered the law enforcing agencies to allow the rampage until 4 pm. As a friend wrote, ``It could not have been the Chief Justice or the opposition. It has to be the Government and the Government means Musharraf.`` In Karachi, Government also means MQM.

One more quote from a lawyer in Karachi: ``First, the media does do the same for political thuggery by other parties. The media and civil society have never hesitated in condemning the terrorism and savagery of militant sectarian groups. The only difference is that other parties do not issue lists of `chauvanistic journalists`. Other parties do not present bullets in an envelope, as has been reported to have been done with Azhar Abbas (see today`s Pakistani newspapers), who is on the MQM`s list of `chauvanistic journalists.` The truth is that until recently we did not have the courage of confronting the MQM with our written words. But the truth has confronted the MQM courtesy of live television.

``Second. Nobody wants to eradicate the MQM or its supreme leader Mr. Altaf Hussain. We only want it to lift the aura of fear and violence.``

Beena Sarwar is gonna get it from Aisha Sarwari (any relation?) because of the following statement... ``its rivals are hardly Gandhian in their outlook, which is what it would require to remain unarmed and peaceful in the face of the threat that day. ``

May 12, 2007 is a day which - from the accounts read here and elsewhere - shall forever live in infamy in the history of Pakistan!

It proves once and for all - if such proof be needed at all - that power without accountability leads to the worst form of degradation of the soul!

The culprits - and I mean the REAL culprits, not the mere stooges in the streets - must be held accountable!

But how does one make accountable the chore bhaya koatwaal - in the umpteenth repetition of an apparently permanent ritual - in that khoon ki holi forever ongoing in that country?!

khamy1 #9 {``knowing the reputation of MQM , anybody with the least bit of common sense would attend any political rally armed to the teeth if it`s against the interest of MQM ``}

Qumquat,
So these guys were prepared and went looking for a gunfight and they got one? They killed a few and few of them were killed. Sounds tragic, violent, but quite premeditated.

Dear Writer

Very timely article and eye witness news by an authentic and sensitive journalist by you made me cry...........As I was reading each and every word of your article, I was viewing al the innocent people being butcherd in the streets of Karachi and there was no help for them................It reminds me of Imama Hussain and his familybeing butchered in Karbala...

We can call MQM and Musharaf Pakistani VAMPIRES who sucked the blood of innocent Pakistanis May12th........they out dated dracula....


Nero(Mushy) was playing his fiddle,while Rome(Pakistan) was burning May, the 12th.....

In this process MQM and Musharaf are forgetting one word,{KARMA}...soon they will realize the meaning of this idiom,``as you sow so shall you reap``...

Soon there will be a marry go round and they will see, what goes around that comes around........
After seeing innocent people being killed on the streets of Pakistan ........
I can only wish,if, someday someone could drag Altaf (MQM) and Musharaf out of his black staff car and keep them dragging on the streets of Karachi till they both die...how will they and their families feel?

Let`s see, Pakistani people will remain sleeping or will wake up out of their slumber..... This is the dark day in the History of Pakistan..We should never forget May 12th......When Musharaf and Altaf(MQM) played with the innocent blood after butchering them on the streets of Karachi...

Alive nations never forget their national tragedies, they always remember just to get prepared for future.....and always learn big lessons from them....

This is a big slap and gift from Musharaf for Pakistanis...this is a big wake up call and an eye opener.........

Musharaf,you have to exit.......but, not via proper door....you have already closed that proper front door.....run as far as you can....via back door, if, any left........or why don`t you get a Canadian visa( the way you suggested it for other Pakistanis).....remember..I hope you don`t have dementia.....

Musharaf,``you have to add one last chapter in your book(in the line of fire) or may be you wish to change the name in to,``Mushy playing fiddle while Pakistan was burning in the line of fire.``

Very true.........sigh*
..............................................................................................
Go Musharaf Go....

I truly believe that CJP has all the rights to have peaceful rallies,they did their peaceful demonstrations throughout Pakistan with no riots, with no blood shed. CJP`s right to go to Karachi is within the constitution of Pakistan and no one can snatch that right from him or from other citizens of Pakistan as long as they are marching peacefully.

Now, Karachi is not a separate country, Karachi is an integral part of Pakistan.
MQM ( so called champions of democracy and champions of poor people`s rights) disrupted CJP`s right to come to Karachi and started attacking and harrassing other peaceful people of Karachi who set the stage for the demonstrations.Not only harrassed them, they started gun fires and started killing innocent Pakistanis for NO reason at all.

And the most tragic and shameful aspect of all this tragedy is MQM( a political party) did all these killings purely for the support of Musharaf, the worst dictator.Why?

Obviously,Musharaf and MQM are from the same ethnic background. So, MQM`s shameless support for Musharaf proves one thing for sure, that MQM was/is/will never ever be a sincere and loyal political party...A political party means who works for the establishment of pure democracy.

What kind of crap party is this? which is supporting an illegitimate Army dictator, just because of his ethnicity and in this process MQM puts Mushy`s dictatorship above democracy.........Sad haan.

Few days back MQM has had their rally against Mullahs....Mullahs did not kill anyone at least, they just broke CDs and closed some music stores......they made a big fuss about it and label it as law breaking Mullahs( I am not in favor of those Mullahs either)

Now, who broke the law more, those who killed innocent Pakistanis or who broke few CDs?
Who broke the law, those who are supporting an illegitimate dictator based on his ethnicity and killing and brutalizing hundreds of innocent Pakistanis?

Now, who broke the law more, those who illegally snatched CJP`s right to come to Karachi or those who wished to have peaceful rallies?

Now , who broke the law, those who are doing everything to sabotage the democracy or those who wished to furnish democracy?

Now, who sabotaged the law and created all this lawlessness in Karachi....MQM and Musharaf.......
We will never ever forgive both of them for the blood shed of poor Pakistanis........they have to answer ..........sitting in London and ordering for all these riots doesn`t give us the answers........

Altaf Pai and MQM are the gifts of Zia ul huq to Pakistan and now Pakistan has to suffer and Karachi is burning since then......................

Musharaf and MQM are just a disgrace to Pakistan.......Musharaf`s son Bilal is safe in Boston.......
But, those who got killed on the streets of Karachi, their mothers are crying tonight and their children might not get any food tomorrow,b/c their fathers are gone....they are now orphans, they will go hungry to beds....with tears of helplessness...................
sad, sad, sad................
Media is helpless, Geo tv is helpless, Pakistanis are helpless...Musharaf and MQM are in power..........Let`s see how much more blood shed these monsters will suck before leaving their dictatorship.......