STEVE INSKEEP, Host:
And, Mr. Zaka, can you give us an idea of how quiet, or unquiet, the streets are where you are?
FASI ZAKA: From where I am as the capital city which is fairly high income, so the kind of street violence that we're finding in Karachi, Lahore, Kasur and Hyderabad - it has not pervaded that. But most of the shops, they voluntarily closed down because everybody fears that there's going to be repercussions of street violence going on right now.
INSKEEP: Is there a great fear of further violence at this point?
ZAKA: So at this stage, right now, things are conflagrating slowly and things little get much worse because within the next 24 to 48 hours, once Benazir Bhutto's funeral starts taking place - because in Pakistan, funerals are very public and there's a lot of public display of emotion which is to affirm the death of the deceased - there is going to be much more tension on the area in the coming two days.
INSKEEP: In just a few seconds, can you imagine the January elections going forward as scheduled?
ZAKA: Well, I'm unsure. It's too early to call that right now but there is a chance that if things go very wrong in the country, a state of emergency might have to be imposed. If that were true, then under - that particular law which allows the state of emergency, you cannot have election. So there is a significant problem right now.
INSKEEP: We'll continue to bring you more as we learned it. And, by the way, President Bush is planning a statement within the next few minutes on today's assassination.
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INSKEEP: You're listening to MORNING EDITION from NPR News. I'm Steve Inskeep.
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