I'm fine

By now I'm sure some of you will have heard the terrible news: in the wee hours of this morning local time, a suicide bomber blew himself up in Karachi, killing over 100 people and injuring many more.

I just want to assure those who may be worried about my safety that I am perfectly fine and do not anticipate any danger to myself or my colleagues.

I spoke to some friends here this morning to get their take on what's going on. Be aware that this is merely the interpretation/speculation of a few smart people that I happen to know, and I don't have access to any official or especially learned assessment of recent events. Here's what I've gathered from them and from watching the news:

Former Prime Minister and head of the opposition Pakistan People's Party, Benazir Bhutto, returned to Pakistan and to her hometown of Karachi yesterday, after an eight-year exile. Karachi is in the province of Sindh, and unfortunately, it has a lengthy history of political violence, going back several decades. From what I've been told, most of this violence has been caused by, or been in response to, attempts by the MQM (another party) to assert power in the provincial government of Sindh and in local municipal government. In recent years the MQM has gained the majority power in the area, and Karachi has been much more peaceful than in the past. Those I've spoken to conclude that the MQM is feeling insecure in its power base and has chosen to retaliate against Bhutto, as the PPP is the party's main rival in the province.

I realize that probably doesn't sound comforting. My point is that this is, sadly, nothing very new in Sindh, but that the violence there has generally not been reflected in other areas of the country.

All of which is certainly a very cold comfort to Karachi-ites whose loved ones have been murdered or injured. Those of you who pray, please start praying for a just peace in Sindh.