Urban conflict is nothing new in Pakistan; it has been around from the beginning of Pakistan’s creation in 1947.
• Pakistan was born violently, with some 1 million people dying in the process of Partition which saw an exchange of some 14 million Muslims, Hindus and Sikhs.
• And Pakistan remains a violent society. It is violent between ethnic groups; it is violent between the different religious groups, notably between Sunnis and Shias, and against Christians; it is violent between landlords and peasants.
• However, today I will focus on violence in urban areas only.