KARACHI, 2 January 2007 — It was a normal Thursday afternoon. Karachi was coping, as always with its maddening rush. I had two more days before my return to Alkhobar — my home for almost 17 years now — with things yet to be done and a number of old familiar faces still to be seen.
But something very different was to take place. In short, all hell was about to break loose.
After I returned home that afternoon from the famous Elphi (Zaibunnisa Street), I called back a journalist friend of mine who had called earlier. As we were talking rather causally, my friend started shouting — apparently to his crew in the newsroom — “Blast at Liaquat Bagh.” From then on, it was a different story altogether. Former Premier Benazir Bhutto who had addressed an election rally moments ago had been hit. Initial reports said she had suffered injuries. Moments later her death was confirmed.
This was a major story. Anticipating a violent reaction by Benazir’s loyalists, markets closed down immediately. Even local grocery stores pulled down shutters. Sensing an imminent backlash, people scrambled to reach home, causing traffic jams on all the major streets of the city. As many petrol stations closed down immediately after the tragic news, there was another problem — vehicles which ran out of fuel were stranded, adding to the chaos.
It took people hours to reach their homes. Public transport had instantly disappeared. Buses, wagons, and taxis were also not available and thousands had to walk to their homes.
Habiba Yasmeen Irshad, a housewife, had gone to Zainab Market with her young daughter. In the aftermath of the assassination, she remained untraceable, until finally she turned up at home late in the evening — after being stuck in the jam for almost five hours. And in the meantime, as the news of violence began to spread, her young sons at home were worried, not knowing what to do.
Abbas was returning to his residence in Gulistan-e-Jauhar from his office on the main I.I. Chundrigar Road. Learning of the mad crowds, putting to the torch everything they could lay their hands on, he managed to form a group with others on motorbikes. Then switching off their headlights, they walked back miles, pulling their bikes with them, through narrow lanes and alleys, avoiding the major streets. Abbas finally reached home at midnight where his young wife was in tears, waiting for him and worried about his safety.
Telephone lines and mobile networks were so jammed that evening that it was almost impossible to get through. Initially most felt the lines were jammed by the authorities, although later it became evident that the enormous amount of traffic on the networks had clogged the entire system.
Things soon began to go from bad to worse. As the news of the Liaquat Bagh carnage started to take final shape, angry Benazir loyalists took to the streets in large numbers. Hundreds of cars were set alight in various parts of Karachi that evening. The famous NIPA intersection presented the look of a battle scene with many cars in flames there. Other places were no exception. Drivers fled to safety as soon as they found themselves surrounded by mobs. Banks, government offices, even a police station became the target of mob fury that evening. Gun shots were heard from various localities in the city, although no one was sure who was firing and at whom.
The affluent Clifton and Defense areas of the city were not spared the violence. With the city breaking down into chaos, maintaining essential services soon became a problem, Hospitals were understaffed and overworked; tired staff continued on duty for shift after shift, when replacements were unable to report for duty. Flights were disrupted. Train service came to a halt. The city — in fact the entire country — was at a standstill, with most people remaining indoors. Who was responsible for all this? Were they PPP loyalists or gangsters and lawless elements out in numbers to take advantage of an already chaotic situation? Incidents of looting were also reported in various places suggesting that the perpetrators were not simply mourners.
As I left the city early on Sunday, things had begun to improve, albeit slowly and yet the saga was far from over. Ripples of the tragedy will be felt for a long time. Most analysts agree that Sindh has received a second Bhutto martyr and it will be some time before wounds heal.
Benazir was perhaps the only political figure with a following in all four provinces. To take up that mantle in the current circumstances will definitely be a Herculean task, most analysts now agree. The Pakistani political landscape has changed — forever!
