Local Pakistanis react to turmoil in native country

Thoughts of suburban Pakistanis turned to family members in their native country as news came over the weekend of increasing unrest.

Muzammil Siddiqui, the general secretary for the Federation of Suburban Pakistanis and a Bartlett resident, said he has been on the computer since Sunday night to grab the latest tidbits on Pakistan's emergency rule.

"We're all concerned; we still have families in Pakistan," he said. "We're also concerned which direction the country is going to."

Siddiqui said he has had faith in President Gen. Pervez Musharraf's rule of the country, but he said he is wary of the recent events.

"They're arresting all these attorneys; how can you justify something like that?" he said.

Siddiqui said gaining information on what is going on has been hard as media has been shut down in the country.

Ahmed Karim, president of the federation and also a resident of Bartlett, said Musharraf has been handling the country's problems since 1999 and has helped the United States with its War on Terror.

However, he said he sees the situation worsening in Pakistan before it gets better.

Karim, too, said he worries for his family in Karachi. While they haven't seen any problems in the streets of that city, family members are still scared for what could happen, he said.

"I'm not a political man, so I was looking at where the country was going as a whole (under Musharraf)," Karim said. "The country was going on the progressive side; I hope the situation can come under control."