the_taliban_shuffle_-_kim_barker

were killed. One head cleric, who had always been a charming host to
foreign journalists, died violently. His more elusive brother was arrested
when he tried to sneak out the back in a clever disguise: a burqa. If this
raid were an attempt to distract the country from the chief justice
controversy, it would have devastating consequences. Islamic militants
and many ordinary Pakistanis didn’t just see some kind of elaborate,
duplicitous plot gone wrong. They saw Pakistani security forces
purposefully killing Muslims inside a religious compound—an act that
some felt demanded vengeance.
Sitting on the Greek island of Santorini, I didn’t know about any of
the fallout yet. I just knew I was missing the action. I also knew I’d
never make it back to Pakistan in time, not with a ferry ride, a long
drive, and res nipping at the edge of Athens. As I fretted, more news
landed. The country’s supreme court reinstated Chaudhry as chief
justice—a slap in Musharraf’s face and an indication that the pushback
to his regime was not going away.
As soon as I could make it back to Islamabad, I tried to play catch-up.
I talked to a top medical ocial, who spun a story about all the
children killed at the Red Mosque and buried in a nearby eld. He told
me that hundreds of deaths had been hidden, and spoke cryptically
about how they had died. I sipped my sweet milky tea and decided to
cut through the conspiracy drama. I asked my test question, the one that
I had started using in Pakistan regularly.
“So … do you think any Jews were killed in the World Trade
Center?”
He looked at me. The switch in topic was dramatic.
“Well, I don’t know,” he said. “I don’t think so.”
I stood up. “I’m out of here. You’ve lost all credibility.”
Shocked, he tried to explain himself.
“If Jews died, why don’t they put it on the Internet? Why don’t they
name all the Jews who died on a website? Then I’d believe it.”
“You want the Jews to make a list of the dead. Seriously, that’s what
you want?”
“Yes.”
“Right after 9/11, I talked to the families of dozens of Jews who
died. You’re educated. You’re a doctor.” I turned to leave.