Karachi 2007

She was on her way to Jinnah's tomb near the center of Karachi. Happened around 12:15, over 125 dead, over 540 injured. Went off near a few police vans and PPP security cars. Benazir Bhutto was riding in a fortified, bullet-proof truck. That may have saved her life.

The twin blasts were staggered by less than a minute. GeoTV is reporting that it seemed like the combination of a suicide bomber and a car bomb. Reuters has documentation of the carnage and destruction.

There were more than a few direct threats against her.

The city has shut down. Police and Rangers have closed down major ports.

Details are, at the moment, sketchy.

The GeoTV anchor just called it Qiyamat-i Sughra - the Lesser Apocalypse.

Karachi Metblog has reports from the city.

With this attack, Karachi joins the list of cities hit by major terrorist attacks since NYC, Bali, Madrid, London, Mumbai. Read more on this article...

No One Ever Left the Room

William Dalrymple has a piece on Asma Jahangir and the recent events in Pakistan at the NYer, Days of Rage: Challenges for the nation’s future.

But amidst all the bombast of the Mullah, it heartens me to read that life goes on as usual. This is of no great significance - unless, like me, you believe in the power of words and music - but Mike Del Ferro recently gave a master class in Karachi blending Jazz piano and Sitar. Del Ferro is the Director of Jazz Programming for American Voices.

Do give it a read - esp. the last six paragraphs.

Maybe they can earmark some of that $750 million to similar efforts.

On a more discordant note, is the case of Shaheen Khan. Read more on this article...