Letter From Karachi & Benazir Bhutto's Death

by HijabMan :: posted 29 December 07

This is a guest post from my sister Zohra and her husband Angrez currently traveling through Pakistan:

“We managed to arrive and have one day of seeing Karachi—we’d just had dinner with my Auntie and cousin that second night when my mum called from the States telling us to turn on the television. We’re now on the second of two days of enforced mourning for Benazir Bhutto, who is being called “shaheed,” or martyr, by the television media here. I say enforced because the common wisdom is that unless shopkeepers shut down and workplaces stay closed, PPP thugs will come around with guns.

Normal folks don’t seem to have delusions that Bhutto was a martyr, acknowledging her corruption freely. People still associate her father’s populist/socialist message and concern with poverty eradication with her candidacy and were faintly hopeful that she might do something good—I think that they were mainly hoping she could tow the line with the international powers that be to keep them off Pakistan’s back. I’m pretty sure lots of people get that she was the US’s proxy. Still, people were pretty surprised that Al-Qaeda took responsibility for her assasination. Usually political assisinations around here remain not-very mysterious mysteries, with some pretty universal popular assumptions about who’s responsible.

Being here is a real reminder of the late 80’s and early nineties, when there was a perpetual curfew in Hyderabad. I’d come for months only to spend weeks playing cards with cousins and watching the days unfold from the rooftop. It’s unbelievable how much opportunity we’ve enjoyed in the West, while our (US) antics and cold war interventions wreaked havoc in the lives of several generations of Pakistanis, disrupting educations and livelihoods, pushing out everyone who had a chance to leave and hadn’t already. It was the post brain-drain drain.

Anyway, Karachi is blessedly quiet where we are. Shops are closed, but food sellers in smaller side streets have opened. The internet cafe looked closed, but they were happy to let us in. Young men are playing cricket in the parks and on the street. Police are huddled in corners and in the back of vans—the administration doesn’t seem to want to show its face while Bhutto supporters are still upset. Reports that cars and trains are burning in various places across the country are really devastating…normal people stay home and nut jobs use this as an opportunity to destroy the country. It’s a good time to pray for peace.

Angrez and I are both relieved to be out and about—being shut in all day yesterday was a little maddening. The balcony in my cousins’ flat is a saving grace. I’m learning that my Sindhi has seriously eroded, while my Urdu is much improved. I had a grace period of about two days and now everyone’s on me to speak in Sindhi. Fortunately, Angrez’s Urdu is so fluent that it distracts everyone from my deficiencies! And also fortunately, everyone’s speaking more Urdu and less English around me because of him. I love how we’ve given each other Pakistan: we’ve come to my family, and his ease with language and culture opens new things for me here and with them.

I’m not sure when we’ll get back here, but it’s close, so hopefully at least once more before leaving for Hyderabad…

With love, and peace,”

INDIAN MOHAJIR at 1 January 08 :: #

I by chance saw your site. The site is just a trash and the writer is a scum.
Maryam at 1 January 08 :: #

I also have just discovered your site, and think very different to what the last reader has written. From what I have read, I enjoy your honesty, especially the cute anecdotes about your family. Your articles are refreshing.
Purvis The Muslim at 1 January 08 :: #

To: INDIAN MOHAJIR

Yo mama is a fat.
Amjad. at 2 January 08 :: #

I agree with the word “forced mourning”. it has always been the case with all the parties. for many to take a day off is to go to bed hungry. only Allah can save us, bless us and help us. creatures have no control on their breath even, so how can they be Almighty for others.
Adeeba at 2 January 08 :: #

hahahahaha. crap and half. thank you for making me laugh, Puvis. I will say something more intelligent on another occasion.

Welcome! This site serves two main purposes: to entertain and educate the Believing and curious community, and to generate a bit of cash—God willing. But there’s a lot more about HijabMan.

Letter From Karachi & Benazir Bhutto's Death

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