"Facing (the unpleasant situation) head-on helps"
-- Dr Ahmad Farjam, Assistant Professor of Psychiatry & Behavioural Sciences, Wah Medical College
By Usman Ghafoor
The News on Sunday: Could regular exposure to situations with fear lead to serious mental conditions?
Dr Ahmad Farjam: Yes, it could. For instance, those who have witnessed a blast scene or an accident, from close proximity, usually end up with a post traumatic stress disorder (PTSD).

Beeping trouble
It is both a blessing and a curse that we are so easily connected to each other through phones and social networking sites in these times of, shall we say, 'fear'
By Aatekah Mir-Khan
It is 12:30 at night and I am almost asleep. Suddenly my phone announces that I have received a message. I want to ignore it but I know I will go and check it because ever since the attack on the Sri Lankan team in Lahore (of which various friends' SMSes notified me by waking me up) I cannot shake the uneasy feeling that I get when I receive messages at odd hours.

Imagine for a moment that the latest blast in Peshawar's Meena Bazar was experienced by eye-witnesses alone; that there was no media to report it, live or otherwise. Imagine the impact [or lack of it, shall we say] that this attack would then have had on the people of this country. Imagine the frustration of the perpetrators when a plan that was supposed to shake the country achieved nothing of the sort.

But this would only happen in a world of imagination. In the real world, the free media, anxious to bring the facts before the people, would rather do that than otherwise.

Experts all over the world have mulled over this dilemma: of how to utilise the media in the best possible way -- without compromising its freedom to express and with maximum damage to the terrorists' cause.

The phrase 'terrorists' cause' is interesting in our context because to begin with, we have had many sections of society, including the media, empathising with this cause. Gradually and interestingly the free media came to its own rescue and the number of sympathisers started to dwindle. The disillusionment with terrorist acts took precedence over the little sympathy that was left for the cause itself.

But the symbiotic connection between the media and terrorism remains, here as elsewhere. We have come to a situation where the journalists can and do call 'terrorists' terrorists in this country and yet the attacks don't stop. Is it because the media has decided to report acts of terrorism just the way the perpetrators want them reported?

This threat of terrorism that has seeped into the fabric of society must be dealt with somehow. People must learn to deal with it, emotionally, psychologically and of course physically. On one level the public officials, the journalists and security corporations appear a part of the terrorism industry when they spread panic, depression and anxiety among the entire body of population.

As we live in times where one incident leads to the closure of all educational institutions and where the visual map of cities has changed from sprawling spaces to sandbags, barriers, concrete high walls and bunkers, there is need for some sort of sanity -- to bring back the resilient human spirit. The media needs a change of strategy to avoid spreading panic; the people need to consciously dispel this sense of fear. We need a sane populace to respond to this psychological warfare.

In the good, the bad and the ugly of the world's freedom of expression (the 2009 Reporters Sans Frontiers global ranking), Pakistan finds itself among the bottom 20 of 175 ranked countries. To some, this does not square up with the 100-plus independent local TV channels (26 of them 24/7 news and current affairs), 125 independent on-air FM stations and dozens of newspapers and magazines arguably free to say or report whatever they please and to bring on commentators and analysts who at times even manage to pass off expletives as a matter of statement. The new surge in terrorism in the last few months and the media's coverage of it is actually forcing even the diehard supporters of freedom of expression to admit that the real-time media is itself getting away with murder, more often than not, by its relentless and extended focus that does incorporate ethical requirements. Because of this, fear is permeating from the television sets to bedrooms and offices.

Media in Pakistan has arguably never been freer. There is more real-time coverage of current affairs than ever. The prime time is hogged by political talk shows rather than entertainment. More information than ever is being generated and consumed in Pakistan's history. This is largely due to the opening up of the airwaves to private ownership a few years ago; a dramatic increase in pluralisms; a greater number of local language media and fierce market competition that is kicking in the primal instinct of sensationalism over substance -- all feeding a hunger for information for 170 million people who have until a few years ago been starved of independent news as a matter of state policy.

In the last two years, media has even emerged as a major stakeholder in the political system that has started to influence events rather than just report and analyse them. Take the case of the sacking of the chief justice in 2007 by former military ruler Pervez Musharraf, the outcome of the 2008 general elections and Musharraf's ouster, and the 2009 restoration of the judiciary. Judges have been unceremoniously sacked, elections have been stolen and military dictators have bowed before but this time everything turned out the 'wrong way' because of the presence of a real-time independent media that simply drowned out the official rhetoric. Sustained coverage full of independent and pluralistic opinions has been forcing a change in the Establishment's script for three years now. In fact, so influential became the media that at one point the Musharraf-led military's second coup was not against a government but against the media! Incredibly, it was also the first overt coup that failed.

The year 2009 has been another sort of watershed for the free Pakistani media in which the media swung at extreme ends when it came to mass influence. In the early part of the year the media helped turn the tide of public opinion against the Taliban by some high-focus coverage of affectees of militant activities in Swat. The repeatedly broadcast footage of a girl being mercilessly lashed by the Taliban, in particular, helped the public break free of the stranglehold of Taliban-driven interpretation of religion and Sharia. The evolved consensus against Taliban brutality that this effected helped the government stop dealing in shady peace deals with the militants and for the military to launch an eventually successful operation against them. It has also been the sustained media-backed support of public opinion in favour of the military taking the fight to the Taliban that has resulted in the army now going into Waziristan in what is billed as the 'mother of all battles' in Pakistan.

Towards the latter part of the year, however, something that has been slowly metastasising has become chronic: spreading of panic, fear and loathing at a mass level. This has been the result of the surge in terrorism as the Taliban/Al-Qaeda stages a series of spectacular terror acts that have restored their confidence (which had wilted after the death of Baitullah Mehsud), paradoxically at the cost of the public, the government and the military, all of which have been at the receiving end of this surge in murderous terrorism. The surge in attacks had to inevitably result in a corresponding increase in media coverage of terrorism. However, the reporting of a high-profile and sustained terrorism run has exposed the incapacities of Pakistani media as it has been unwittingly instrumental in sowing fear in the hearts of all. The gore, the hysteric aftermath of a suicide or improvised bombing, and the cameras relentlessly trained on bloodied victims has generally been unrestrained.

It is a case of questionable journalism when reporters and commentators become part of the story, drop ethics of reporting in favour of sensationalistic minute-by-minute coverage of the aftermath of suicide bombings. The hysteria and panic is widespread each time this has happened in the last few months. If this was not enough, the live coverage is followed by fear and hysteria-mongering analysis during periodic news bulletins, prime time talk shows and late-night analyses -- all backed by disturbing footage from earlier in the day, repeated ad nauseum. Most times of the day people are being either flooded with soundbytes of the possibilities of more terror attacks or visuals of old ones.

All of this, ironically, plays right into the hands of the militants. In fact, reviewing the coverage of terrorism and conflict of the last few months in particular, an argument can be made that the militants have come to 'use' the media as their instrument of terror and fear. Even as the government has been on high alert across the country with a high emphasis on security of all manner of installations and places that are likely targets, the militants have evolved their strategy of putting new kinds of pressures to counter the crackdown on them by the state. They are clearly staging 'media events' designed to sow terror and fear into the peoples' hearts that can not only bring them regular and optimum coverage but by causing bloodshed and mayhem on a large scale, they hope these can help turn the public pressure on the government to scale down the crackdown. This is psychological warfare.

The patterns are clear: big-scale attacks are being staged that employ over 50 kg of explosives to maximise death and destruction; the attacks are being staged in major cities such as Lahore, Peshawar, Rawalpindi and Islamabad where not just the population but the media density is also high, ensuring that the entire media will reach the attacked sites virtually immediately for live and sustained coverage. To ensure that the media play ball, the militants have also been repeatedly threatening the media to ensure that the angry media crank out even more coverage of terrorism. Disturbingly, the attacks on GHQ in Rawalpindi and the three-pronged, single-day attack in Lahore on separate government installations in October -- attackers were carrying dates and dry fruits (to keep their energy levels steady) and attempting (successfully in two instances) to take hostages. This was clearly designed to stage 20- to 30-hour terror acts for live media. In at least the instance on the attack on GHQ, they managed to achieve their objectives to a great degree -- sustained, intense coverage of the act spread so much fear that for days the media's collective news agenda was crowded out by this one act.

It is hard to not believe that the attack on a university in Islamabad was tailor-designed to up the ante on the psywar on the people and government. Finding that staging long-duration "media friendly" hostage events was not too easy, the militants struck at the university to maximise fear through live coverage of a diabolically unique act of terror. The girls section was deliberately targeted through suicide bombing to ensure plenty of media coverage that would heat several social weak spots and cultural sensitivities: an educational institution was attacked, which would pile on the nerves of the government; students would be killed, which would horrify and terrorise parents; girls would be killed and injured, which would further break all kinds of taboos.

And, predictably, the media -- even if unwittingly -- played right into the hands of the militants by 'obliging' them with a media event designed to sow fear and terror on all these counts by their unthinkingly no-holds-barred live coverage of the immediate aftermath coverage. The pressure on government increased as an educational institution was attacked right in the heart of Islamabad and by nightfall calls for Rehman Malik's head were being made for his 'failure' to protect everyone; the educational institutions across the country immediately closed down (virtually a majority of them still unopened a fortnight after the attack); live pictures of girl students without their duppattas and chappals and their shalwar kameezes all bloodied and being wheeled into hospitals and being laid out in ambulances and stretchers generated fear, hysteria and panic.

Clearly unthinking live coverage of the wave of terror sweeping Pakistan and related general extremist interpretations and opinions on a media that is reaching millions of homes in real time is contributing to a more fearful and uncertain milieu that is having an impact that is disproportion to the size of the triggers (however reprehensible the terror attacks and their attendant casualties). An attack that kills 50 persons immediately terrorises 50 million who, in turn, filter that fear and panic down to another 50 million.

The media will have to make a conscious decision to stringently stick to universal codes of ethics when it comes to reporting. While absolutely no information should be withheld, media sensationalism in Pakistan needs to be checked and live coverage of suicides/bombing sites and victims needs to be avoided. Just like the free media acting out to be fair makes an effort to check government propaganda, it should also actively be wary of not obliging the militants with live coverage of spectacular terror acts, particularly gruesome images in real-time, that maximise psychological public damage. Pakistani media must see through the plan of the militants and cover such attacks only with the ethics of reporting in mind. The media must itself come together -- without involving the government -- to agree on a minimum code of ethics of reporting terrorism considering that the bloody war in Pakistan will not go away anytime soon and will, hence, need to be reported responsibly.

masses

When Ramsha Taufeeq in Karachi called her sister Bushra in Peshawar, after a car bomb went off in Peepal Mandi market killing 106 people and injuring 200 others, perhaps the deadliest attack to hit Pakistan this year, she didn't expect to hear that the bomb had become a permanent fixture of her life.

"My six-year-old niece picked up the phone and instead of telling me how her day at school was, she excitedly told me how loud the sound of the explosion was, how many people had died and how a helicopter crashed a few days ago," Bushra said. "I was nearly in tears, and I thought these will be the memories of our children. How horrible!"

And horrible it is. Every day our television screens are filled with images and stories of murders by terrorists, bombings and shootings that come in every conceivable format -- remote control, drive by, suicide bomber and single-killer assassination. Intelligence reports now warn that the militants could also target foreign-owned petrol stations, banks and food chains. Every other day, we are told new things: to check if our car doors are locked on traffic signals, that we don't have enough SIMS to accidently trigger a bomb. Every day we see more barricades on the streets, more policemen; our eyes wander to the next security camera, we wake up in the dead of the night to hear a siren.

The innate sense of fear comes from the fact that from mosques to police stations, from schools and street corners to the 'impenetrable' GHQ, every imaginable place in Pakistan has been targeted by terrorists.

"I think the sense of dread was less visible in people in the past," says Javed, a fine arts student. "But now you can see it right behind the eyes, always lurking."

Across many parts of the country, it's not uncommon to hear people reporting quieter roads, cinemas to be almost empty, school attendances thin and businesses desperate for customers. People are staying at home. No one wants to take a chance. No one wants to be the next target or the next victim.

Policemen, who are poorly paid and lack training, liken their task to trying to find a needle in a haystack. "We're here to search for terrorists and suicide bombers but it is hard to check thousands of passengers and their cars," says Ahsan Butt, a police constable in charge of a check post in Model Town, Lahore.

"A suicide bomber can strike the middle of this queue, but we come to work fully prepared for death because there is no alternative," he says.

For many, the situation has become extremely uneasy. "We don't go anywhere. This is not a situation for moving around or going to markets and other public places," says Fariha Ali, a housewife based in Islamabad. "We can't go out to eat, to the cinema house or for a picnic. My kids are getting bored at home, we're thinking of moving abroad," she adds.

Oct 21 brought a new low when, for the first time in our recent history, schools, universities and student hostels were closed in most parts of the country when a suicide bomb took the lives of six people in International Islamic University, Islamabad. Twelve years old Danish is attending classes again after schools reopened a week later, but he has been upset by the disruption. Many children at private schools are still at home. "I can't study well. I can't go to watch a movie or play in the park. I don't know what's happening with me and this country," he says.

Rukhsana Khan, a psychologist, argues that children should be kept away from television as much as possible. "Children's fantasies of war may include a mental picture of a bomb being dropped on their home. While their worries are probably exaggerated, they are often based on real images of terrorist attacks. When children hear rumours at school and pick up bits of information from television, their imaginations run wild. They may think the worst, however unrealistic it may be."

Security guards don't have it any easier. Ashraf who works as a watchman says he can't relax. For him, every car is a potential threat, every new face regarded with suspicion. "The problem is that we all look the same, we're all Muslims, so we can't tell who is a traitor and who is not," he says.

Western fast-food outlets in particular fear that their US connections make them more susceptible to attack by terrorists. "We have lost 50 to 60 percent of our customers in the last few days. It is all because of suicide attacks and the South Waziristan operation," says the manager of the Lahore branch of an international fast food chain. "We're going to deploy more security guards and install hidden cameras but this doesn't guarantee that nothing will happen. If a suicide bomber decides to strike here, nothing can stop him," he says.

"My friends and I used to go out a lot," says Khadija, a 20-year-old law student. "But after this latest wave of attacks, my friends don't want to go out especially to restaurants. They feel extremely unsafe even when there are guards with metal scanners."

Frightened shopkeepers also feel like sitting ducks. "Not only are customers staying away due to security fears but we face the same threat. Anybody looking like a customer can come and explode inside our shop," says Nazir, a salesman at a clothing store in Liberty Market, Lahore. "The duty of security forces is to protect us but they can't even place barriers and pickets in the right places," says Nazir.

Many people like Mazhar Khurshid and Sarah Zaidi, both students of multimedia in a private university, however, are still hopeful. "There is this element of schizophrenia in the city. At one place a suicide bomb goes off, in another place, life goes on. You might think of it as desensitisation, but I think of it as our way of fighting back. The more you kill us, the more we will come out on the street unafraid."

Zaidi feels that these attacks have a negative, but also a positive effect. "Do you remember the video of the girl being flogged by the Taliban? That changed public opinion against the Taliban. These suicide attacks consolidate it. I can confidently say that more than 90 percent of people in Pakistan are against the Taliban. Five years ago, the reaction was at best confused and this is extremely important in defeating the Taliban. At this point a military operation seems the only solution. But what worries me is that innocent people will be killed. The short-term solution will be to infiltrate these areas, but more importantly, the long-term solution is education. Extremism has little to do with guns and weapons; it is a state of mind which can only be altered through education."

These days life has become easier, and how. It takes you 20 minutes to reach home from work; otherwise you would be stuck in long queues for hours. You thank heavens there aren't a lot of people pouring from all directions at restaurants. Your family children are not going to school, they are all staying up till late and virtually they are in a vacation mood. Daddy doesn't take his kids to parks anymore; all activity has to be indoors. However, you have a fear going to office, especially when you know that your not calling them 'mujahideen' could increase the risk further -- or, even working for an MNC which is foreseen to be nothing but an evil caucus for 'them'.

Rationale behind these empty roads, restaurants, parks, bazaars, schools etc is age-old: 'Halat barray kharab hain!' Many would have succumbed to this notion. But then there would be those who don't want to give in; rather they want to fight back.

Like, Zeest Haider from Peshawar, who says, "Only yesterday (Oct 28), I was thinking of going to Meena Bazaar but I stayed back. God's will, I am sure. What can I say?"

Zeest, a political science student at Peshawar University, tells TNS, "We in Peshawar are the direct affectees of this war on terror. For the last few years we have been living in scare and I don't think this is a solution to the problem."

The entire landscape of Peshawar has changed. Going to Namak Mandi has become a dream now for most families. This October saw over 150 people killed in various attacks in Peshawar and over 250 in other parts of the country.

Fear is bound to seep into the masses' heart, from their television screens, newspapers, cyberspace, friends and, sometimes, family, too. Though fear has different shapes, depending on what one tends to be afraid of.

"Fear is obviously there. All the school trips, camps, workshops and other extra curricular activities have been restricted," says Asma Anjum, a school coordinator based in Lahore.

Asma thinks children learn a lot from the school trips. "It is an exposure that develops a child's personality. But in today's times, we just cannot risk the lives of our students."

However, Saleha Ahmed who has two school-going children says, "Frankly, the only fear that I have is that of the future of my children. Seeing them in home all day, playing PS, is not an encouraging sight. Many people say barricades and armed personnel are a petrifying sight, but I don't care as long as my children are studying, because that is the only way I feel we can get back at those who want to finish us."

"Being a PhD student at Quaid-e-Azam University, Islamabad, for me life has changed as a student now. One is bound to cooperate with the security staff, boarding a bus, stepping into a library or a varsity department. It does cause anxiety and a sense of fear as well. I miss Funfairs, sports and the peaceful environment; due to law and order situation, such healthy activities are now rare," says Nayyar Afaq.

Nayyar, who calls himself anti-social and for him university is the only outdoor recreation, feels sympathy for security personnel and watchmen: "They are the ones who risk their lives to make us feel secure. Closing educational institutions is not a solution. We have to emerge winners at all costs!"

Ali Yahya, a student of Actuary, at the society of actuaries, USA (through correspondence in Karachi) tells TNS, "The want of going out, in my opinion, varies from person to person, but it's a fact that we have become so used to these attacks that we don't give a damn anymore!"

Ali feels that people may call it being 'indifferent' but it is a fact that we all have somehow become numb to the acts of violence around us. "When I go to office or hang out with friends, being killed in a suicide/terrorist attack is the last thing on my mind. I remember sitting on Burns Road (food street) with friends last week, following the GHQ attack and security threat. SMSes were in full circulation in Karachi. But the Burns Road, which was said to be a high-value target, was as usual crowded and one couldn't find place to sit. The fear was there but the idea to fight down was the key," says Ali.

"Karachi has always been a prime target when it comes to violence. Growing up in the 1990s I remember the day-to-day killings and sectarian violence which made our society volatile," says Faraz Siddiqui, student of Architecture at Karachi University.

Ayesha Aslam, Customer Support Representative from Turbat, strongly feels that one can't move around freely, especially in Balochistan where the situation has been immobile for years. Ayesha plans to get married next month and she still hasn't done much shopping for her big day. She says, "I don't want to get out of the house unnecessarily even when my mother asks me to go for shopping. I tell her later we'll do it because after the murder of the education minister here, things have worsened. I don't think sitting at home is a solution. I love going out for Sajji and still do that fortnightly dance which brightens up my mood."

The worshipers also find it hard to go for services. Some of the churches, temples and mosques are said to be under security threat. "Last week some of the churches in Pakistan were not opened to Sunday services because of clear guidance by police officials. However, I am very comfortable moving around, and think whatever has to happen will happen. We have to show resilience by not restricting ourselves to our homes," says Huma Shujaat.

The News on Sunday: Could regular exposure to situations with fear lead to serious mental conditions?

Dr Ahmad Farjam: Yes, it could. For instance, those who have witnessed a blast scene or an accident, from close proximity, usually end up with a post traumatic stress disorder (PTSD).

In today's Pakistan, we are constantly receiving news of such incidents, through different sources. We are apprehensive and worried most of the time. We don't know what's going on or what might happen when we step out of our homes. All this affects our mental health adversely and can lead to serious conditions in the long run.

Whether it's a low-intensity stress that lasts longer periods or a one-time massive stress episode, both leave a strong impact on our brain.

TNS: Have you been getting an increasing number of patients with complaints of anxiety and stress lately?

AF: I wouldn't say that, because given the kind of social environment we have, most people don't think it necessary to see a psychiatrist or psychologist for such problems until these assume serious dimensions. They usually talk it out among themselves. Going to a psychiatrist is an added burden for them, if not a luxury.

The security situation in the country is not a today's phenomenon; it has been going on for some time and is likely to persist. The common people are definitely affected by it, but there has to have a proper survey study or campaign to detect the number of existing cases.

TNS: What kind of people are most susceptible to such conditions?

AF: The people who are directly exposed to situations that involve a great deal of fear, such as soldiers, security guards etc. Then there are those who are naturally predispositioned to states of anxiety. Obviously, you cannot have these problems by just reading about terrorist activities or watching images of horror on TV.

TNS: What are the early signs of these disorders?

AF: Poor performance, lack of motivation, disgruntlement, resentment, bitterness, low confidence level et al.

TNS: What kind of therapy or treatment do you generally put such patients on?

AF: Patients with mild conditions usually recover after a few counselling sessions, but those with recurring problems need to be put on medication or psychotherapy -- that's for the psychiatrist to decide. And, if it has to be psychotherapy, the kind has to be identified. The patients are sometimes referred to a clinical psychologist, but this may not work out well because unfortunately we don't have a well organised and integrated services system. Though, specialists are coming up now, especially since the 2005 earthquake, to deal with patients with PTSD. When they don't have enough support and financial backing at the government level, most leave the projects midway.

TNS: What advice would you give to common people who experience anxiety states on a daily basis -- for instance, worried parents who must send their children to schools?

AF: See, it's an unavoidable situation. But it is not advised to shut yourself inside the walls of your home. Avoiding an unpleasant situation only increases our anxiety level, whereas facing it head-on helps. As the father of school-going children, I am also worried about their safety every day when they leave home. But then, wasn't their security and safety our concern always? Perhaps, it is only the degree of concern that has increased now.

I am sure the parents would be equally anxious if their children weren't going to school, because their education and future would be at stake.

On the other hand, to live in denial is not practical. The best approach, to my mind, is to deal with the situation realistically. Act cautiously, as per your discretion, but also take it as it comes.

Beeping trouble

It is 12:30 at night and I am almost asleep. Suddenly my phone announces that I have received a message. I want to ignore it but I know I will go and check it because ever since the attack on the Sri Lankan team in Lahore (of which various friends' SMSes notified me by waking me up) I cannot shake the uneasy feeling that I get when I receive messages at odd hours.

It turns out to be a forwarded message from a close friend. I am not a fan of forwarded messages so I press the 'delete' button. As the confirmation window pops up, asking if I am sure I want to get rid of the message, I read the word 'terrorists' and so I press Cancel and go back to the message. It informs me of a new tactic that the intelligence agencies think terrorists are likely to adopt in the coming days and what precautions to take. I go to bed with dark thoughts again.

Amna Nazir drops her father at work and starts for her office. A beep informs her of a Facebook update of a friend's status. She checks it. It informs her that the FIA building near Mall Road has been attacked again and that there are reports of firing on the Bedian Road, too. She cancels her plans of visiting a client on Mall Road and heads straight to her office.

Ali Wahab is working on his computer. As he logs onto his Facebook homepage, he sees Shahzad's status update that a suicide bomber has attacked the International Islamic University in Islamabad. He looks below the status. It reads: Updated 15 minutes ago. Ali announces it to the whole room. Voices of "What?", "But it is an Islamic university! Are you sure?" and "So they finally did attack students" are drowned somewhere in the background as he logs on to a newspaper website for updates.

"I guess it is both a blessing and a curse that we are so easily connected to each other through phones and social networking sites. At least I find out if there has been an incident in the city while I am on the road, so I know which part of the city to avoid," smiles Amna wryly.

She adds, "I do not update my status all the time on Facebook but when there is a terrorist attack I do express my frustration through it (Facebook) and also mourn the victims. It makes me feel a little better."

What Amna is talking about is what the social scientists have called "ambient awareness" or the "co-presence" of others. Najia Qamar updates her status after "every small freaking incident. My statuses are mostly depressing but I want to get people's attention… even if the number of the people whose attention I actually get is small."

Amara Javed, on the other hand, believes: "I think we have enough negativity floating around us constantly. We don't need to add to it. That doesn't necessarily mean that I am indifferent or it doesn't affect me but you have to keep your head up. You can't stop living your life; otherwise the country will crash a lot faster."

These days there are a lot of SMSes going around that identify the places likely to be attacked and ask the receivers to stay away from them. "The latest SMS asked me to stay away from McDonald's, KFC and schools," says Amara. "I panic after reading such messages and I do not forward them to other people."

Amna doesn't, either. "My heart misses a few beats every time I get such messages and then I panic. I feel uneasy for a few days after that. Sometimes I recite verses, some of which I also get through SMSes," she continues. "It can be that the person who first wrote the SMS was acting on information that he trusted and he forwarded it to people he cared about. Panic might not have been his/her intention but it is caused. But I also admit that even with all the skepticism I try to avoid the identified places and make sure my car doors are locked etc."

An atmosphere of dread prevails as it is, without being fuelled by such messages that create panic or Facebook updates that express people's distress about what is happening all around us. It may be that we feel perturbed after reading such updates and messages because a part of us wants to live in denial and believe that things aren't that bad. It may be that a part of our mind already recognises that the places that we go to or take our kids to can become targets but do not want someone to say it out loud fearing that it just might become an actual target. We may just want to log on to Facebook and wish it to be a fantasy land of sorts and read a rather banal account of what is happening in everyone's life rather than the horror that surrounds us. For better or for worse, we can't escape, no matter where we go.

A colleague's father is a senior political leader. She tells me how her father saw a list of places that are the next likely targets. All day something bothers me. I lie down to sleep. I get up and type a message on my phone and forward it to all my family.

*text missing*

Some of the most common, most recent SMSes...

nRecent incidents show that suicide bombers now will either sit in your car by force or will ask for a lift & force you to go where ever he wants to hit a target. Remember to keep your car doors locked & windows closed especially on traffic signals, interchanges & where ever you need to hang out.

-Please do not receive any phone calls from +045, 642, 000, +06 or any such number. Inform others too. It is bomb trigger call.