Shadowlands

Located in Karachi’s district South, Lyari is a densely populated area of approximately 1.5 million. Lyari has been shaped by multiple waves of migration of people from across the Indian Ocean region. For this reason, it is one of the most diverse parts of the city and includes a significant Baloch population along with Kutchis, Sindhis, Punjabis, Pashtuns, Bengalis, and Muhajirs, amongst others. Lyari is also religiously diverse and is home to a large Hindu and Christian community as well as members of the Zikri community.

Lyari began as a fishing settlement in the 18th century. The population grew significantly during the period of colonial rule, when the British began modernising Karachi’s port and people began migrating in search of employment opportunities. Forming the largest part of ‘the native city’, Lyari was home to the working classes before Partition. It has been the site of labour organising and progressive and nationalist politics from the 1960s to the 1980s. However, shifts in Karachi’s economy and demography over the past three decades have meant fewer and fewer steady sources of work for Lyari’s residents, leading to high rates of under and unemployment.

Lyari has also been a base for a variety of criminal actors. While the early generation of Lyari’s criminals served as strongmen for local and national politicians during the 1960s, it was not until the appearance of Rehman Dakait (Rehman ‘the Bandit’) in the late 1990s that criminality and politics became more intertwined in the area. Rehman became increasingly aligned with the Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) as he became more powerful. His group was also involved in a gang war with a rival group headed by Arshad Pappu who was believed to be aligned with the Muttahida Qaumi Movement (MQM). This conflict raged in the area from 2004-2008, creating widespread insecurity amongst its residents and hampering social and political activities.

The gang war officially ended in 2008 with the creation of the People’s Aman (Peace) Committee (PAC). The PAC formalised the power of the gangs in Lyari, with PAC offices set up in most neighbourhoods of Lyari. After Rehman’s death in 2009 in a police encounter, Uzair Baloch took his seat. Uzair continued along the same lines as his predecessor. In September 2013, a rift occurred once again between the gangs, which divided Lyari’s neighbourhoods and led to widespread violence. Furthermore, the state launched an Operation in Karachi led by the paramilitary forces, the Rangers, targeting various groups in the city including the Lyari gangs. This Operation led to many arrests and encounter killings, and while the conflicts affecting Lyari have subsided, the area continues to be afflicted by drugs, unemployment and poverty. Hence, the roots of conflict remain.