New Orleans is sinking...

Its been a long hiatus, but after a further delay of about 18 hours, I've come to the conclusion that if i am ever gonna make a return, its gonna be today.

So here we stand. Yesterday seems far away to me. Just a day has passed, yet I feel that paradigms have shifted. My morning ritual of checking just the main headline on BBC before i go onto other more productive tasks was the most arduous five minutes I have experienced in quite some time.

Benazir Bhutto, dead. How did this day of all days bring such a melancholy smile?

She deserved it, to tell you the truth. She stole billions from Pakistan, and let others steal billions. She destroyed the lives of countless families, villages, and peoples. There would never have been justice. There still isn't, but this apprehensive smile, it just won't leave my lips.

I don't know who did it, or more importantly why they did it. But its done. And tonight, their tongues softened by warm chai on this cold, helpless night, Pakistanis from Sialkot to Rawalpindi, from Karachi to Gowhat and Lahore wonder what agony the next few weeks will bring.

Don't get me wrong, Pakistanis everywhere knew this was coming. It was just a matter of time. Till two months ago, Benazir was in cahoots with Musharraf, which consequently broke down, leading to Benazir running her own election campaign under the blessings of the USA, according to my sources.

Something was gonna happen, and then this- cold, calculated, a message sent and received clearly. Tonight, 2/3 of Karachi sleeps with breaths abated, while the rest prowls the streets looking for blood, stragglers of the celebrations in some opposing stronghold. A collective conscience told Pakistanis something was gonna happen, the levy would break. And so it has, or it will soon enough anyway.

It almost sounds ironic to wish that she rest in peace, her death will bring so much more death. And thats the only though about this morning's headline that soured my mood.