please address all personal correspondence to zakidvai@mac.com.

Hi Ambreen What an absolutely delightful surprise. And how odd of you to stumble upon this blog instead of my personal one. I recall Nuzhat and myself rushing off to the airport one night when you'd landed and gotten stuck there alone. Guess that was the last time we met, although I think I called you up once while I was visiting the UK. Nuzhat and Ragni are fine and both are working: Nuzhat is an Education Technology Adviser to the largest school chain in Asia (Beaconhouse School System), while Ragni is at her first job at the Drik Picture Library in Dhaka. I am involved in matters generally related to education and the new media. It'd be great to keep in occasional touch, if it's ok with you. This is not a private forum ... but there was no contact address in your reply. Mine's zakidvai@mac.com ... so the ball is now in your court. Warm regards Zaheer

Within a party, bad as the idea seems, I guess it's up to the leaders and the party elders to decide. The entire subcontinent (Pakistan, India, Bangladesh - and, to some extent, Sri Lanka) are extremely Dynastic in their pproach to politics. Also, the aidea, I guess, is to ride on a wave of sympathy.

And yes, they also act as kings - because the culture of the entire society is one of voluntary subservience. Phrases like Musharraf's Rule, Nawaz's Rule, and Bhutto's Rule roll off the lips of their well-wishers with as much ease as they do off heir opponents'.

And there's Benazir's mom Nusrat Bhutto's famous remark in her interview with a UK paper that Bhuttos were "born to rule"

Zaheer ne parle pas français. Pouvez vous lui poser votre question en anglais?

Rumours continue, primarily because there is a great Trust Deficit between the public and the ones who sit in power today ... and the absolutely stupid statements of government spokespersons (some of which are commented upon on my blog and elsewhere) do not help matters.

As for whether the security services could have participated ... Yes. Did they? Who knows... I have no crystal ball. But there are som many rifts within our intelligence services and among their breakaway factions that I doubt if a single true picture will ever emerge.

As for why Mush would have brought her back to kill her, I don't claim that he did that at all. But, speaking purely hypothetically, it would be a lot easier to have her eliminated under such circs (large crowd, open access, poor security, readily available suspects) than to have her knocked off in the UAE or the USA.