THE days leading up to Eidul
Azha this year were marked in Karachi by fears of violence over the collection
of the hides of sacrificial animals. To no one`s surprise, the dismal
predictions proved true, with three people dying and a number injured on Eid day
in firing incidents instigated reportedly by political activists. The violence
took place despite the fact that police stations in the city had earlier held
meetings with the representatives of various political and religious parties and
had claimed to have developed “a foolproof plan” to prevent precisely such a
scenario. There is an abundance of bleak irony here. Hides in large quantities
are sought since they are sold to industries such as tanneries, and therefore
represent millions of rupees in earnings. While it is normal practice across the
country for groups such as charities to set up camps for the collection of
hides, in Karachi the practice is overshadowed by the desire of political groups
to flaunt their power. The ensuing scuffles, such as those witnessed on
Wednesday, run in direct contradiction to the spirit of the occasion which is
underpinned by the concepts of sacrifice and conceding to a higher power.
It is a pity that even in the face of the many crises besetting the country
several groups, especially Karachi`s political organisations, appear unable to
rise above parochial concerns. This year Eidul Azha fell at a time when millions
of our countrymen`s lives and livelihoods have been severely disrupted, if not
destroyed, by the floods and the battle between extremists and the security
forces. Food inflation is at an all-time high and the ranks of the newly poor
swell by the day. State infrastructure is in tatters everywhere, from the
economy to the education, power and development sectors. If ever there was a
time for Pakistanis to come together for the collective good, it is now. It is
high time that the country`s power-brokers recognised that paying mere lip
service to the ideals of Eid is not enough: restraint and the sacrifice of
self-interest are crucial to the welfare of the people.