Two of my friends, who are visiting me from USA, were quite scared of the on-going situation in Islamabad which has been covered by the local and international media all around the world.

We headed towards the Melody Food Park Abpara, late at night, as they wanted to eat some Desi food. On our way we passed through the Lal Masjid, which is now turned white so it would be better to call it a Safaid Masjid, one of my friend really got excited and wanted to take a picture of it and the other was scared and stopped us to do so. She thought the Rangers might open fire on us. Whereas i was quite calm and tell them that nothing will happen we are just taking a picture of a famous mosque and if it is that dangerous we could ask for permission from the Rangers but she was scared to death and did not let me do so. At that moment I started wondering what would it be like with the area residents who lived that moment of disorder.

As such local people are not that scared as the ones who are visiting Islamabad. Islamabdians are living their routine life after the incidence but people abroad are very much concerned and scared. I tell my friend that in night the roads of Islamabad are quite deserted and she suddenly said “because of the security reasons”, with a terrifying expression on her face. I tell her that No! There is nothing like that it is just because people prefer staying at home instead wondering around. It took me quite a while to calm them down and after that they were not ready to go home because then they wanted to visit Damn-e-Koh 

When we got back home we came to know that the imposition of emergency in the state is on its way. I already had too much with my friends that now this news made me more furious as I had to explain them what Martial Law is and what effects could it have on the state. In our trip I acted more like a tourist guide to them. Later I realized that I should have had more knowledge about the politics and social life in Islamabad and Pakistan to make the situation clearer to them, instead of mumbling around, because we never know when we get entangled with such situation of explaining things to strangers

People abroad are more scared than the ones who are living in Islamabad and Pakistan. I knew the situation but just because being a Pakistani I wanted to depict a better picture in front of my friends. The situation has worsened with the passage of time. Rumors are all in the air and we never know which rumor might come true. Fingers are crossed lets be ready for what is coming ahead.

May God protect us all!