Once again, Karachi is burning, and everyone has a theory. On April 29, at least 29 people were killed in an escalating wave of violence across the port city. Most of the dead were Pathan, though the Muttahida Qaumi Movement (MQM) also claimed losses. Even before funeral processions were organised and the last fires were doused, politicians began finger pointing.

Speaking from London, MQM chief Altaf Hussain appealed for peace, indirectly blaming the Taliban for the recent urban violence. He claimed that criminal elements belonging to the land and drug mafia were stirring trouble with the support – in the form of arms and money – of the Taliban. Meanwhile, Pakistan Muslim League chief Nawaz Sharif hinted at the ethnic dimensions of the clashes, pointing out that Karachi’s residents were being pitted against each other as part of a larger plot. For his part, Minister of State for Ports and Shipping, Nabeel Gabol, claimed that the fighting had been instigated by a ‘foreign agency’ that is working in collaboration with a religious party.

Outside political circles, there is an assumption that this week’s killings are the result of a long-standing ethnic rivalry between Karachi’s Urdu-speaking and Pashto-speaking communities. Newspaper reports, for example, have described the clashes as ‘ethnic violence’.

For almost a year, the MQM has been warning against the Talibanisation of Karachi.But members of Karachi’s Pashto-speaking community argue that the MQM is making no effort to distinguish between honest workers and militants. ‘The MQM is playing up the issue of Talibanisation for political gain'.In fact, ANP officials claim that the threat of Talibanisation in Karachi is being over-stated by the MQM. They point out that the Pashto-speaking community, which has been targeted by Taliban militants in Pakistan’s tribal and northern areas, is most at risk. ‘Who will they kill first?’