Where the Indus flows into the sea lies Karachi, the world's second largest city after Bombay. Originally a sleepy fishing village, today it sprawls along the coast as a humid, organic, gritty metropolis of 12 million souls. To the east is the Indus delta, rich with mangrove swamps, and to the west are miles of deserted sandy beaches and golden cliffs stretching to the Iranian border. Nearby, a mystical Sufi shrine to the saint Mungo Pir houses an anomalous congregation of holy crocodiles.
Karachi has seen its fair share of trauma, so when I heard five rapid gunshots under a clear half moon this evening on my way to get some fabled Sindhi biryani I froze. "What was that?" I asked a nearby Pakistani. "Ah, firearms," he replied with a cheeky grin, "Maybe someone's been shot dead. Or...maybe it's just a wedding. Welcome to Pakistan!"
The best antidote to this dark dash of Karachi humour was obviously kebabs - and what mighty, succulent kebabs they were! Over mouthwatering grills and gorgeously fragrant rice we planned our strategy for Osama hunting. Here, we need to seek out our lovely targets with sensitivity. The last thing I want to do is prang a nerve and cause more misunderstanding. We're in the eye of the storm and must tread lightly.
