People Like You

With Benazir Bhutto's death, came a national mourning period of three days as announced by General Musharraf.

Andrew and friends on New Year's Eve

Straight away we were told not to leave the house by everyone from our friends to the High Commission. This was because trouble was erupting all over the city as people reacted to the tragedy. Such trouble was primarily targeted at places that represent the establishment, for example, banks, police stations and government offices. However some was more opportunistic and random.

At first it was difficult to appreciate what was happening around us, which can cause quite a lot of anxiety. The only way of really finding out was to watch the news, in which we would try and identify the locations of the volatile scenes we were seeing on the screen.

In terms of where we were, then it was eerily quiet. From our fifth floor roof terrace, we looked out over the commercial district we live in and there was barely a soul on the street let alone a sound. In the distance though we could see black smoke rising from all directions. It was easy to sense that all was not well in Karachi.

In need of supplies…

The biggest issue for us in terms of the mourning period came in the form of food and water. The country had come to a complete standstill. Nothing was coming in, nothing was going out and nothing was being sold, meaning our diet for at least the first two days was made up of potatoes and rice.

The law of supply and demand

Thankfully though, as it calmed down, some of our friends were able to go out and secure some much-needed supplies. But with the onslaught of people’s desperation came the emergence of an opportunity to many a shop keeper. Whereas 1kg of tomatoes was 25 Rupees 3 days ago, it now stood at 125 Rupees per kg, due of course to the lack of supply and so resulting inflation.  It's a rule of economics after all. Mind you, I can't really blame them as they were essentially risking their shop window in order to conduct business.

Things getting back to normal…

So, come Monday 31st January, the mourning period was over and I went back to work. In the morning everything seemed fine and I thought things were getting back to normal. However I was about to learn just how quickly that can change.

At lunch I received a call from some friends, saying they were stuck in a bank, after the shutters had suddenly been pulled down. I was on my way to meet them for lunch, however on approaching the high street outside my home my rickshaw was faced with a sea of cars turning back on themselves. We followed suit and I headed back to the office not too sure of what was happening.

Andrew and friends on New Year's Eve

Back in the office, everyone was packing up to leave. Rumour had it that trouble was erupting around the city once more, and not wanting the risk of being stranded in the office, everyone was upping and leaving. Thankfully I could get a lift with a colleague, and this time there was no traffic turning back on itself outside my house. My friends had left the bank shortly before, to a street littered with armed rangers (special police) keeping watch.  

So what had actually happened? Well, very little, it was all based on rumours, rumours that had spread like wild-fire. In reality there was very little trouble that day and we could have worked as normal. It did show how on edge the city was though.

If nothing else, it sealed the fate of my black tie New Year ball. In the end we settled for a house party with very few guests. It was still a fun night, for the novelty value if nothing else.

Making sense of it all

So how can you make sense of it all? Well, it is difficult. On the face of it, it seems like mindless violence and chaos is being created and in a large part this is what it is. People are desperate and opportunistic and in the midst of chaos they take advantage of the situation.

However, others are angry and upset and I imagine don’t know how to express their discontent with the situation in any other way. They are the ‘have nots’ of society and they had placed their hopes for a better Pakistan on the shoulders of Benazir Bhutto. With her gone, so is their hope for something better and in many ways so is their trust in democracy. In looking for someone to blame, they point their finger at the institutions that run the country.

Their actions are far from justifiable and I would like to think conducted by the minority. But this is a context completely different to the one I am used to and that is something I realise more and more with each passing day.

Today I am back at work and things seem relatively normal. Shops are open, the streets are packed and the country seems to be getting on with things. With a new year comes new hope and I have plenty of it. But if there is one thing I have learnt about Pakistan it’s that you never know what’s going to happen next.

Andrew Webster, Karachi, Wednesday 2nd January 2008