In Sindh, an ethnic cauldron that occasionally displays the beauty of diversity but that can boil over if the delicate balance of cohabitation is not maintained by every single community residing in the province; the ugly face of ethnic strife has once again risen to the fore. The death of Bilal Kaka, 35, a man of Sindhi ancestry in Hyderabad by a man of Pashtun origin in recent days has stoked the embers, demonstrating what such strife can do in a region as diverse as Sindh. On social media, things fell apart quickly with requests to remove “Afghans” from Sindh. The repercussions from Hyderabad to Karachi and then to Quetta was swift, brutal, and startling in the level of open hostility. By instigating residents on both sides, those attempting to profit from the situation led to attacks on and closures of Pashtun-owned businesses in Dadu, Jamshoro, K N Shah, Kotri, Moro, Sakrand, and Sehwan as well as disruptions at Sohrab Goth Karachi that interfered with intercity transportation.
Thankfully, the leaderships of all major parties in Sindh swiftly understood that their inaction could have precipitated a catastrophe that would have been impossible to contain, and they have now unanimously appealed for moderation and peace in order to snuff out the hydra of ethnic violence. As Chief Minister Murad Ali Shah emphasised, it is wrong to condemn an entire society for the criminal act of one individual. The PPP government has also awoken to the issue. Law enforcement officials have already taken action against agitators who started the fire, hopefully averting a serious problem.
In all of this, it’s critical to comprehend the deeply ingrained and structural causes of racial animosity, which is frequently used as a tactic to further polarize existing historically underprivileged and vulnerable communities and ethnicities. The voice of a united people will always be the most formidable danger to any regime that thrives on strife, from Pakistan’s rural outposts to its metropolitan cores. Therefore, any attempts to arouse such animosity must be met with resistance throughout Sindh and its cities. Pashtuns and Sindhis have coexisted peacefully for decades, from Bacha Khan to GM Syed, and any xenophobic views from any side will only harm the province of Sindh, which has proudly embraced its variety. One of the most racially and religiously diverse metropolitan areas in the world is Karachi, which some claim has numerous small cities inside its vast area. Even today, a single spark of ethnic animosity is enough to convert the metropolis—possibly the only truly cosmopolitan in Pakistan—into a battleground for ethnic rivalries. The city has already experienced years of racial animosity fed by vested interests. No one should assert ownership over a place where so many people share ownership, as seen by the diversity of spoken and played musical instruments, foods consumed, and cultural practices.
