Når etniske uroligheder bryder ud i Karachi er Qasba Colony som regel den det går værst ud over, og det har medført, at almindelige skoler er væk og tilbage er de islamiske religiøse skoler
KARACHI, 24. October, 2012 (IRIN): Since June 2011 when the first wave of targeted killings and ethnic violence hit the area (deeply divided between Pashto-speaking Pathans and the Urdu-speaking Muhajirs), 30 government schools have closed permanently, some 400 teachers have stopped coming to the area, and the lives of 25.000 students are hanging in the balance.
Madrasas, are taking up the slack in this deprived area.
The road leading to Qasba suggests all is not well: A drugs den where teenagers flock to buy heroine or hashish here; a school wall pock-marked with bullet holes there; and three schools in ruins, with one of them used as a rubbish dump (skraldeplads).
There was a time when Muhajir teachers could travel to Pathan localities and vice-versa, but not any more. Turf wars between two political parties, the Muhajir Qaumi Movement (MQM – dominated by Urdu-speaking Muhajirs) and the Awami National Party (ANP – dominated by Pashto-speaking Pathans) have spread to this area too.
Largely unoccupied youths are resorting to crime. Every week 10-12 crimes are recorded in Qasba, according to a police official who preferred anonymity. “The closing down of schools may be one of the reasons for the increase in youth offenders,” the officer told IRIN.
“Students who once went to school now roam the streets, waiting for a riot to erupt, for this is when they can pick pockets (være lommetyve) and indulge in petty crimes,” said Sajid Hussain, a school teacher from the area.
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http://irinnews.org/Report/96628/PAKISTAN-Madrasas-fill-education-gap-in-Karachi-hotspot
