Life of a Pakistani

Gut reaction Saturday, July 05, 2008 Lubna Jerar Naqvi As I knead dough from imaginary flour, slap an imaginary chappati onto a cold stove, missing it by a yard since my UPS died and the gas light above my head stares down at me I think about where Pakistan is heading. A country -- electricity, suffering high prices of every imaginable commodity used by the common man, a suspended political and legal setup, terrorist threats and a restive, heck, bloody, tribal belt -- can only be headed for some sort of civil war. Protest or frustration, call it what you like, has taken on a grisly turn with people venting themselves by burning "robbers" since they know that there is no form of law that can facilitate their miserable lives. Everyone is well aware that an encounter with "law" in Pakistan will only lead to more problems, hence... [read full story]