By Haroon Ullah
This account reads like a novel. A young couple in Pakistan raise their three sons: Salman follows his father as a merchant, Daniyal joins the Taliban, and Kamran goes to law school. Except for Dani, the family remains close through thick and think, especially the bombings that shake their once elegant city. Eventually, Dani, brainwashed and stoned, is assigned to bomb (suicide-bomber) his brother's law school. It is heartbreaking to see that boys, even from good families, can be taken in by these promises of paradise and purity - and how hard it is to maintain a normal life in such difficult times.
Having visited Lahore, it is easy to picture the shops and settings of this story. The city features not only elegant hotels and shops, but also a zoo, and many historic monuments, such as the Lahore Fort (featured in Kipling's Kim), the Badshahi Mosque, and Jahangir's (Moghul emperor) monument. The people of Lahore surely need our prayers and support in these days of uncertainty.
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