Pakistan - Karachi

Some consider Karachi to be the most dangerous city in the world. About five to ten people die every day as a result of political violence in Karachi. Karachi is a dirty, bustling port town, with a population of more than 5 million people. Robbery and kidnapping are often carried out with the distinct intention of creating terror and instability among the populace. Bombings have occurred at Pakistan government facilities and public utility sites. Vehicular hijacking and theft by armed individuals are common occurrences. Persons resisting have very often been shot and killed. Overly detailed and gory reports of murders, bombings, robberies and assassinations fill the papers every day.

The bustling port of Karachi is a war zone, thanks to the MNM. The name means Refugees National Movement and is led by Altaf Hussain (who conveniently lives in sedate London). The Urdu-speaking Mohajirs feel they are discriminated against (which they are) by the Sinhis. There is also a lot of banditry, drug feuds and Sunni/Shiite violence that is blamed on the MNM. There is even a splinter group called the MNM Haqiqi-or the real MNM.

Every day this dirty, sprawling metropolis of 13 million people tosses five or six bodies into the back of a police van for identification. In 1995 there were 2,100 people killed in Karachi, strikes crippled the economy, and people feared for their lives. Now only a couple of hundred die each year. The government's reaction was to declare open season on the MNM. In many cases suspects are rounded up (many with a price on their head) and simply shot later. There is a new law that allows cops to shoot to kill if they even think you are about to commit a terrorist act. If they don't hit you, they have to arrest you. Terrorists can get seven years just for being suspected of stirring up sectarian hatred.

There is also a ping-pong series of killings between minority Shiites and majority Sunnis that keep the morgue busy. If you get bored waiting around to be shot or kidnapped, you can spend a few hours crabbing or rent a camel on the beach.

http://www.usia.gov/abtusia/posts/PK2/wwwhamcn.html

http://www.karachipage.com

http://www.alephx.org/karachi/

http://www.brecorder.com