While the state and its elected government are busy in politics of expediency, blood is being spilled on the streets of Karachi. The world condemned the Blood Diamonds in Sierra Leonne, but nobody talks of Blood Politics in Karachi, where this senseless and gruesome cyclic killing and blood spilling has been going on now for more than ten years. In the last few years, the enormity and frequency of this killing spree has gained horrific proportions. The government is turning a blind eye, shying away from its primary responsibility of providing security to its citizens. No government in this age and time can justify the ruling juntas unacceptable silence on these killings. Apart from the rhetoric, there is no evidence of criminals being apprehended and punished. Every time this cycle of violence occurs, a federal minister comes rushing to Karachi to keep the coalition intact, totally unbothered about the poor innocent victims of this insatiable lust for blood in the battle for turf. Karachi police has been rendered ineffective by stuffing it with nominees of local political leaders. The result is rampant lawlessness. These men in police uniform owe their loyalties to their political godfathers and not to their primary task of stopping crime and providing security to citizens from harassment by criminal gangs. This criminal negligence on the part of the government, deprives it of its political right based on numerical strength, because the basic concept of democracy stands nullified, when citizens cannot be provided basic rights such as security of life and private property. ALI MALIK, Lahore, October 19.