Benazir Bhutto: How Has Her Death Impacted Westerners in Pakistan?

There is a lot of good information on the Internet and T.V. news about Benazir Bhutto, her life, death, and the aftermath of her death.

But I wondered what the death of Bhutto means for the common person in Pakistan, particularly for foreigners living in Pakistan. Is it safe for a foreigner to be in Pakistan right now? What are expats thinking and feeling at the moment while all of this is going on?

Fortunately (or unfortunately, depending on how you want to look at it), I have a few American and Canadian friends living in Pakistan. I've been getting emails from them letting me know what is going on.

I am providing excerpts of emails, but for the safety of my friends, I am removing any identifying information such as the names of the cities where they reside.

Here are some email excerpts from friends living in Pakistan:

Dear friends,

I am sending you a short update regarding the situation in (name of city removed), Pakistan where I am.

We are doing well here. It is pretty quiet.

We had a group of friends, both westerners and Pakistanis over for a gathering last night. During the gathering we heard that Bhutto had been killed. We talked and then hastily ate. No one felt like eating. A few left but the others lived across town and we didn't think that it was safe for them to leave. We got out mattresses, sheets, etc and made up beds for everyone--on the floor. They don't mind that! So we had a slumber party here. Pakistanis like to sleep in big groups so I got my room up on the roof to myself.

(Name removed) went around the neighborhood and got some diapers and medication for one of the babies who had a bad cold so he felt a little better. All the stores had closed so he had to ask neighbors.

We heard several explosions during the night and one was a few blocks away. It may have been a transformer, however. We saw the smoke. I heard machine gun fire repeatedly through the night and some of it sounded close. I also heard what sounded like a football stadium cheering but that even faded away as the night progressed. I actually slept pretty well. Our house is enclosed with concrete walls and the walls of the house are concrete. Even the roof is made of cement. A stray bullet would not likely be a problem.

This morning we got up and saw three big plumes of smoke over the city. One was just a few blocks away coming from the direction of a gas station.

(Name removed) got up at 5:30 and drove everyone home. The streets were quiet as bad guys usually sleep in. Anyway, many streets were blocked by debris and burned cars. He saw several looted and burned stores and offices. They are mainly targeting government offices.

We called my rickshaw driver and told him not to come this morning to bring me to language study. He said that he had tried to come and was turned back by people who warned him that in the city vehicles were getting stoned and burned.

Our neighborhood is quiet. I hear kids in the street and men are standing around chatting. I hear a few vehicles and rickshaws.

Yet, we see smoke from an apartment building under construction nearby. People are burning the wood supports. Why? We don't know. I imagine it is just to be able to destroy something. The electricity has flicked on and off.

(Names removed) are in (name of city removed) for an orthodontist appointment and can't get home as all the flights were cancelled. Another friend was stranded at the beach hut but someone was able to go out at 4 AM and got them so they are safe now. All flights and trains are cancelled.

Another friend wrote:

We are doing fine. We are just staying home. We have power and plenty of food. Please pray for Pakistan.

And yet another friend wrote:

Greetings from Pakistan! Sometime this evening before the sun set, Benazir Bhutto, former Prime Minister of Pakistan in 1988 and then again in 1993, was killed by a suicide bomber at the completion of a campaign rally in Rawalpindi. This shocking news has resulted in riots throughout the country. I can hear the shouting and gunshots in the (name removed) bazaar from where I work. The compound is on the outskirts of the town right across from the police station and things are quiet here.

Some of the medical personnel live in an area near the bazaar and are unable to get to work tonight. Those on duty now who live in that area will need to stay on the compound tonight. The day and evening medical personnel will be splitting the night shift to cover for the employees who are not able to come in for duty.

Several of my colleagues who were traveling outside of (name of city removed) and are now stuck in Karachi. (Name removed) flew to Karachi this evening and got stuck at the airport. Thankfully she was able to get a room at a hotel near the airport but at an exorbitant rate.

(Names removed) were unable to make it to the train station for their return to (name of city where they live removed). Pray that things will calm down so that they can

return to home.

Your friend,

(name removed)

Reading these emails, which come from very reliable sources, helped me to better understand what life is like for the westerners living in Pakistan during this turbulent time.