Tackling the Terrors

The deadly fire that erupted in a hotel in Karachi on December 5, 2016 that killed 11 people and injured over 70,  also hurt some Pakistani cricketers who were staying at the hotel. According to reports cricketers from UBL's first-class team that included some international Pakistan cricketers like Sohaib Maqsood, Hammad Azam and Umar Amin were in Karachi to play Quaid-e-Azam Trophy's super 8 round match vs HBL. When the fire set ablaze they with their team were staying in hotel and the tragedy resulting in injuries to UBL' cricketers Yasim Murtaza and Karamat Ali. Although shaken themselves, but other cricketers notably Sohaib Maqsood along with his teammates, helped in rescuing guests trapped inside the ablaze building, Besides, helping in evacuation a few families and small children they also helped in rescuing and evacuating Chinese officials affected by the fire.

This brave and humanitarian act of  cricketers to save life of others putting their own lives in danger, shows a positive characteristic of Pakistan' socio-civic culture, which is struggling to  survive from uproar and instability fueled by militancy and bad governance. That also indicates that attitude of national society is changing and it is heading towards positivity. Since the last two decades people living here were badly affected by horrors of terrorism which resulted in poor law and order and bad governance. Human lives were in a state of survival, therefore foriegners were afraid of touring Pakistan. However with these rescuing attempt of cricketers, it seems now people living in Pakistan including sportsmen have now understood that "God don't help those who don't help themselves."

It also reminds me a well known sporting family of Lyari, who lost their lives while resisting young and under-trainee pugilists of their boxing club to involve in criminal activities. The deceased are named Muhammad Ismail, his elder brother Javed and Taj Muhammad, maternal uncle Taj Muhammad, and their two cousins Shoaib and Faisal. All of them were national-level boxers and running a training academy in Singhu Lane. That boxing coaching centre was in operation for youngsters of Lyari for several years. But when gangsters tried to recruit members from their boxing club, the family not only resisted their attempt, but also started a campaign to stop young men from joining the gangs.

The gangsters working for notorious warring leader Uzair Baloch, therefore, started harassing the family and forced them to flee Lyari. The members of the family kept in wandering from one neighbourhood to another as gangsters had torched their houses in Singhu Lane. After few weeks of their relocation, a group of 12 gangsters tracked them down, kidnapped all of them and brutally killed them on March 9, 2014.

Two and half year later on November 19, 2016, the law Rangers in Karachi in a raid killed three hitmen including Mullah Arif who was supposed to be the main perperator of the gangsters group that killed the members of boxing family. The warlord of the gang Uzair Baloch has already caught earlier this year and is now in custody of law enforcement agencies.

However the residents of Lyari claim that the killing of Mullah Arif is an important success in the ongoing crackdown on Lyari’s criminal syndicates and will further weaken the notorious warring gang .

By M. Wasim

mwasim.370@gmail.com