KARACHITES might well feel the worst days of the city were back, as at least nine people were killed on its streets, with dozens injured, in firing incidents in the City. And meanwhile, what were the parties in the Sindh coalition doing? Apart from a visit to MQM headquarters at Nine Zero, Azizabad, they were holding joint press conferences in the forlorn hope of thus restoring peace. It didn't, and the firing went on at the same time as the MQM, the ANP and the PPP presented a joint public front to buttress their coalition government in Sindh. The firing was said to be communal in nature, and the coalition had been formed for the whole of Sindh keeping this in view, the MQM representing the Muhajirs, the PPP Sindhis, and the ANP Pakhtuns, Karachi being seen as the largest Pakhtun city in the world. The riots so far have terrorised and traumatized the City, and naturally this has had national repercussions. This time, expediency should take a backseat, and those responsible should not only be identified, but taken to task. For that, a fearless official enquiry officer must be found, and the provincial government must bear the responsibility. Meanwhile, it must also bear the responsibility of restoring law and order in the City. Vaguely blaming the Taliban will not do, because that makes the danger external, and not connected with the violence that the City has known over the years, especially when the MQM was on the rise. If this violence must be linked to the War on Terror, which is by no means necessary, as the Taliban claim is meant to do, why not examine all the actors? The Afghan and Indian intelligence agencies are known for fishing in troubled waters, or rather for ensuring that waters become troubled, and have been known to be active in Karachi in the past. The possibility of them having a role must also be explored. The violence in Karachi must be condemned, not just because of the importance of the City, which is undoubted, but because so many Pakistanis were killed. Parties must be practical about helping those left behind, not merely hold press conferences.