Recent trip to Pakistan

EACH BREATH THAT ONE TAKES IS A STEP TOWARD ONE"S DESTINY (Ali IBn-Abi Taalib RA)

Well, I was informed there will be trouble still I took the step for we had planned 50th anniversary of our graduation (From KE Medical College)
As I landed in Islamabad on 26th Dec. I saw all the posters of Benazir speaking on 27th all over in the city, so I knew what was happening but what actually happened on 27th was not my expectation (although later it dawned on me that it was expected after all). It was aweful and sad but how it hit me was as follows.
The same evening 'riot' started. All gas-stations were closed, shops closed and as the people of Pakistan were "mad and grieved" (Death of BeNazeer)they started
looting banks
burning cars
burning buses
burning trains
nobody was safe from this "soge" (mourning) even the 'ata carrying trucks' (wheatflour) were burnt (knowing there was ata aboard). This is grief?
AND police watched, no orders to stop this vicious 'soge' from any authority (what is authority in Pakistan?) After all the journalists/photographers had these perpetrators on their record and could be identified and tried and punished, I thought.
Results: There was deficiency of ata and the poor went hungry as it would sell at disproportionately high price. There was increased 'load-shedding' of electricity and also load -shedding of sui gas (So if you did'nt cook in time you may end up waiting till gas returns otherwise stay hungry) The PM said there is plenty of ata, dont worry but people started getting frustrated and hungry all over Pakistan. It was supposed to last for three days.
The hooligans and looters made fortunes. Many good people lost their cars. There was hardly any city that did not suffer. You could not travel safely at all anywhere. PPP said that they will 'soge' for 40 days. God help us if this is mourning.

Honestly can you make any sense out of it? The president said 'tahmmul say kaam ley jiyay' (Be patient) as if he was a big leader and was a real president so people would obey his orders.
So, I waited till my friend got some gas and came to pick me up. We planned our own get together in Gujranwala next day. But my friend's wife came back from evening walk and told us tomorrow you want to go but there is "Pahiya-jam hartaaal" TOMORROW (Khudaya what on earth is that?). My friend explained, Cars and other vehicles will be caught (at random) and tires burnt etc. so the "Jiyalas" will be out extending the 'soge'. She advised we better get away the same evening, so all plans were rescheduled and worked alhamdulillah and we were all together having our 'party' in Gujranwala, 6 of us the old friends and the host (Asif ) was so gracious and entertaining.
The next day my other friend was going to Lahore by car so I decided to go with him to Lahore (no "pahiya-jam hartaaal' in Lahore) and visit Gujranwala later.
There, we got together in Panjab club house, about 15 of class-mates (KE grads of 1957) who were residents in Lahore and decided to get 'celebrations after the elections (knowing we, from US or Canada wont be able to come). Two or three of them I could not recognize (meeting after 50 years) and so as I hugged I asked 'who are you'. We just had a great lunch, enjoyed some gup-shup and parted.
Then I learnt, my nephew in Karachi had a heart attack so I decided to go to Karachi along with my sister. Booked flights and got the tickets for 12th Jan. (too risky to travel by train). Unfortunately sister got sick while I was in the village and she wanted me to come back to Lahore. I had the tickets so we needed to return her ticket which we sent by hand next day and I stayed one more day in Gujranwala with my nephews (two). When my brother-in-law was returning tickets in PIA office there had been a "dhamaka" (Explosion) in GPO area but he was OK, Alhamdulillah.
In Karachi I stayed with my nephew for the day and returned safely as I heard there was another "dhamaka" in Karachi. God knows how many other big towns were planned for dhamakas, so I stayed put in Lahore until I flew out to JFK via Dubai.
This is briefly what I experienced in Pakistan after 'they' killed Benazir. I may have my own ideas on that killing but I felt so sorry for Benazir. After all she was a 'leader' and deserved better. What is beyond me, however, is the behavior of the people of Pakistan. I was a Pakistani too and had witnessed personally the beautiful morning of 15th of August of 1947. Still have vivid memories of the day. That spirit of being free from the English!!, that freedom, that Pakistani flag I personally made (Over two weeks prior to that, cutting out green and white pieces of cloth) and hoisted it proudly on the top of our house in the village.
Am I also a part of these people who now call themselves Pakistani? Is that the 'freedom' they wanted? I have tons of questions in my mind and am trying to identify myself with them, they are my people after all. I should not have such questions.
Have I become too much American?