I fear for the future of my family's hopeful homeland

Karachi's streets were filled for the past month with the normal hustle and bustle of everyday life.

Although police cars and traffic-control officers were situated throughout the city because of heightened security concerns, large buses, trucks, cars and motorcycles packed with loads of contented Pakistanis continued to cruise the streets, despite the country's political unrest.

That all changed on Thursday when residents learned Pakistan's opposition leader, Benazir Bhutto, had been assassinated.

Now, the roads are blocked, angry and rebellious citizens are rioting in the streets, the city has been shut down and families are waiting -- hour after hour -- for relatives to return home from jobs and schools.

An assassination just two weeks before a highly charged election is obviously the last thing the country needed.

I get the chance to visit my parents' homeland every couple of years and, in the past, the visit has always left me in awe.

This time, when I visited from Dec. 1 through Dec. 25, 50 people died in a mosque bombing. And now, just two days after my return home, Bhutto was assassinated.

In December 2005 when I visited Karachi -- located in the southern part of the country and Pakistan's largest city -- someone tried to assassinate President Pervez Musharraf twice during my two-week stay.

Still, the overall vibe has always been positive, and fear was never an emotion that crossed my mind.

Instead, it's always been hope. There's always something going on and, whatever the incident may be, I always hope nobody I know gets caught in the middle of it all. Selfish, but true.

Although the motive for my trip this month was to visit extended family and shop for my summer wedding, a journalist's eyes are always alert.

Major highways and ramps were very close to completion, there were digital billboards galore, everyone was beyond cell phone-happy, brand new cars were whizzing past extremely old ones, and there was absolutely no bargaining -- something Pakistanis and foreigners always bank on.

Residents get a bit more fashionable every time I go, and fashion gets a bit more trendy and scandalous. But overall, the average Pakistani is the same old happy-go-lucky individual who's enjoying life, day by day.

While much of the country is moving toward the modern world, during my numerous visits throughout my 24 years I've noticed some things just never change.

The air's a dusty brown and there's little grass to be seen.

Simplicity rules.

A man chills out in front of his CD and cassette shop while sitting cross-legged on an old, black, ripped leather folding chair that's got large amounts of yellow sponge bulging out -- something that would have been tossed decades ago had it been in the United States. But to him, the chair's quite comfortable.

Perhaps the country's rift between becoming progressive and remaining traditional is the root of Bhutto's assassination.

While many were looking forward to a democratic election in which every party planned to participate, others stood in its way. Now, the entire country will suffer from the actions of a small group who couldn't adapt to a more sophisticated way of politics -- voting.

Usually, if you like a candidate, you vote for them. If you don't like a candidate, you don't vote for them. The person with the most votes wins and runs the country until their time's up.

But instead of voting for a favorite potential leader, an ignorant group decided to kill the person they didn't favor.

My mom is still in Karachi. She told me Thursday that riots were starting left and right. People were setting random fires. Shops were closed, and most people were staying inside their homes to try to ensure their safety while uncertainty sweeps the country.

The murder of the first female prime minister in the Islamic republic has put yet another dent in many people's hearts, and has stirred even more anger toward suicide bombers.

The next few weeks and months will truly shape the country's future.

As everyone waits to see how things unfold, Pakistan and the safety of all my family members will remain in my prayers.