Islamabad Pakistan - June 20, 2008

The Marriott – Islamabad

September 20, 2008 - I’ve been in the Marriott – Islamabad twice. It was exactly 90 days ago that I sat in the lobby of the Marriott Hotel – Islamabad for the first time, watching the coming and goings of business people, military types, diplomats, the media and tourists. I had finished my photoshoot for the morning, and I was using their wireless connection to check my emails and find out what was happening at home. I saw no other Americans while I was there. The Marriott is gone today.

I had my Pakistani protocol officer with me on that first day. He was provided to me by Senate President Muhammad Mian Soomro (who later became acting President of Pakistan for the month between Musharrif’s resignation and the election of Zardari on September 9) to help me move around the city on my photography shoot. Arriving at the Marriott, I was wisked through the security at the main road and the front entrance of the Marriott, without a second look. Later, I had lunch at the Nadia Coffee shop, right off the lobby, and listened to the lobby piano player presenting some classical pieces, with a little Cole Porter mixed in.

The next evening, I met a well connected business woman for dinner at the Marriott who provides medical/air ambulance services to the Pakistan military and government. I went through the security system this evening, taking about 3 minutes to get through the initial gate on Aga Khan Road, and another 5 minutes going through the main doors and xray machines. This time they looked completely through my cameras and laptop. We ate at the Marriott’s Royal Elephant, the Thai restaurant down the hall to the right from the main entrance. We discussed the impending demise of Musharrif, the state of the Pakistani military and its control, the future of the U.S. and Pakistan cooperation against the Taliban on the western border region of Afganistan and Pakistan, and the ongoing cricket matches between India and Pakistan.

The lobby, the coffee shop and the Royal Elephant are completely gone now. In fact, the Marriott’s front section is completely gutted. I can only believe that the lobby and coffee shop were knocked out in the initial blast, and that the Thai restaurant, being behind a few more walls, was collapsed and then completely burned up. I met the manager of the restaurant, and two waitresses, and I wonder if they survived.

The Lobby was very wide and open. About a fourth of the space was taken up with the security system beginning at the front door. The dual magnometers and bag scanners were in complete use all of the time, with a line of 4 or 5 people at all times waiting to be processed through the system. A privacy curtain was set up for females entering the hotel lobby. On my first visit, I remember that the officer with me held up his id, and I walked with him, around everyone, carrying my camera and laptop bag. A large table was in the middle of the lobby, with a huge bouquet of colorful flowers in a large vase. To the left was the long registration counter, and to the right was the coffee shop, open to all with at least 40 tables. Off to the very right, next to the front windows, were couches and big lounging chairs and coffee tables for relaxing and visiting with guests, for waiting for rides to outside restaurants and meetings, and laptop usage. Anyone sitting in this area would have been immediately killed by the blast. This is where I waited to check my email and on the second evening for my dinner guest to arrive.

I suppose that timing is everything. But the main thought of mine today is whether we all have our Appointment in Samarra to keep.