December 31, 2007	Monday	Zilhaj 20, 1428

AFTER the gratuitous violence sparked by her cruel assassination began to die down, it was time to mourn and pray for the soul of Benazir Bhutto. The Pakistan People’s Party had requested her supporters to observe her soyem across the country on Sunday, and the prayer meeting organised at Bilawal House, Ms Bhutto’s Karachi residence, was particularly poignant.

Old women wept bitterly while people from different social and economic backgrounds recited verses from the Holy Quran. Others garlanded photographs and portraits of the slain leader, a beaming smile upon her face.