Target Killings in Pakistan
TARGET KILLING
In Pakistan, target killings have been a rising form of violence and have contributed to security instability in the country. They have become common and have gained attention especially in Karachi, Pakistan's largest city and economic capital. Police and law enforcement agencies have sometimes come under criticism for their ineffectiveness in locating the perpetrators and their motives. For most of the part, target killings in Karachi have been attributed to political, religious and ethnic reasons.
Karachi is a cosmopolitan city and consists of many ethnic communities; the city's demographics play an important role in its politics. Ethnic politics have resulted in sporadic violence throughout Karachi's history, often leading to bloody conflicts. Following the Partition of India and the independence of Pakistan in 1947, Muslim immigrants from areas constituting modern-day India migrated in large numbers to the newly-created Muslim nation of Pakistan and became settled in Karachi, the historical capital of the Sindh province. These migrants had educated, middle-class to upper class backgrounds and came from cultured families; they came to be known as Muhajir people (Muhajir meaning "immigrant"). They dominated much of Karachi's businesses, something which was resented by a portion of the province's native Sindhi people and radical Sindhi nationalists. After the breakaway of East Pakistan in 1971 and the formation of Bangladesh, Pakistan accepted a large number of Biharis (known as "Stranded Pakistanis") loyal to the country, trapped in Bangladesh and offered them citizenship. The Bihari migrants assimilated into the diverse Urdu-speaking Muhajir population. Some Bengalis in Pakistan also stayed behind.
Karachi's status as a regional industrial centre attracted migrants from other parts of Pakistan as well, including Punjab, Balochistan andPashtun migrants from the frontier regions. Added to this were Iranians, Arabs, Central Asians as well as
In Pakistan, target killings have been a rising form of violence and have contributed to security instability in the country. They have become common and have gained attention especially in Karachi, Pakistan's largest city and economic capital. Police and law enforcement agencies have sometimes come under criticism for their ineffectiveness in locating the perpetrators and their motives. For most of the part, target killings in Karachi have been attributed to political, religious and ethnic reasons.
Karachi is a cosmopolitan city and consists of many ethnic communities; the city's demographics play an important role in its politics. Ethnic politics have resulted in sporadic violence throughout Karachi's history, often leading to bloody conflicts. Following the Partition of India and the independence of Pakistan in 1947, Muslim immigrants from areas constituting modern-day India migrated in large numbers to the newly-created Muslim nation of Pakistan and became settled in Karachi, the historical capital of the Sindh province. These migrants had educated, middle-class to upper class backgrounds and came from cultured families; they came to be known as Muhajir people (Muhajir meaning "immigrant"). They dominated much of Karachi's businesses, something which was resented by a portion of the province's native Sindhi people and radical Sindhi nationalists. After the breakaway of East Pakistan in 1971 and the formation of Bangladesh, Pakistan accepted a large number of Biharis (known as "Stranded Pakistanis") loyal to the country, trapped in Bangladesh and offered them citizenship. The Bihari migrants assimilated into the diverse Urdu-speaking Muhajir population. Some Bengalis in Pakistan also stayed behind.
Karachi's status as a regional industrial centre attracted migrants from other parts of Pakistan as well, including Punjab, Balochistan andPashtun migrants from the frontier regions. Added to this were Iranians, Arabs, Central Asians as well as