Jennifer Harbison, head of the Asia Desk at Control Risks in London, said: "I think this is anticipated. It is well within what we expected might happen … It does cast a shadow over the election and it raises some concerns over how the government might deal with any popular reaction to this."
Khaled Rahmen, director general of the Institute of Policy Studies in Islamabad, told Al Jazeera: "It's a very sad incident … and such a big incident would definitely impact the elections. There are apprehensions that this might result in some kind of postponement. If that happens … its going to create more instability."
Max King, London-based investment strategist with Investec Asset Management, said: "This is an absolute disaster for Pakistan. Pakistan is clearly turning into one of the failed states in Asia."
We will continue our coverage. I had hope to literally bury my head in the sand during this break but that was not to be.
Comments welcome. Share your feelings and fears. I also am hoping you will strengthen your support for Mediachannel.org for the year ahead.
On, into the abyss:
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