There is much talk today in Karachi and Pakistan over the issue of peace.

But what is peace? What are peaceful societies?

Peaceful societies are contemporary groups of people who effectively foster interpersonal harmony and who rarely permit violence or warfare to interfere with their lives. In these societies there is certainly absence of direct violence -physical, verbal, and psychological- between individuals, groups, and governments. However, is more than just the absence of violence; it is the presence of social justice through equal opportunity, a fair distribution of power and resources, equal protection and impartial enforcement of law. Peace in a society creates relational and structural justice that allows for social and personal well being.

All nations from across the world aspire to be peaceful societies, with some being more peaceful than the rest, while others display more violence, aggression and conflict. Pakistan is one such country. This third world country that is struggling with difficulties such as a weak economy, over population, ill literacy and poor health, also suffers from terrorism, violence and brutality. Pakistan has been labeled as a terrorist state and is gripped with suicide bombings, bomb blasts, targeted killings, violent riots and protests and a number of other cruel crimes. Karachi, being its largest city in terms of area, population and economic activity is one of the worst examples of violence in Pakistan. Violence erupts in Karachi with periodic regularity. Every third or fourth month the city goes through a spike in the incidence of targeted killings – though not a day passes when an odd citizen does not lose his life to the vicious unidentified killer. And this is not all. Places are blasted by suicide attacks, bomb explosions and full-fledged armed attacks carried out by terrorists. An international metropolis and an economic hub, Karachi is at the mercy of bandits, hooligans and hoodlum.