Life started crawling back to normal in the country after three days of violence following the assassination of Benazir Bhutto, but fears kept both things and hopes fragile. A further improvement is what is in the sights after Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) called for calm and announced to participate in elections planned for January 8, but might be delayed.
"We request the people to control their emotions...we will contest election as wished by shaheed Bibi (Benazir)," Asif Zardari, husband of Benazir, told media in Larkana. The announcement came after the PPP central executive committee (CEC) decided to make Asif as new co-chairman and his son, Bilawal, new chairman of the party.
In the federal capital, Islamabad, situation remained peaceful on Sunday as against previous two days when mobs blocked roads and burnt property. The sun rose with more scare for people in Rawalpindi as they woke up on a holiday morning, to horrifying sirens of ambulances and sounds of gunfire in some parts.
Most parts, however, were tranquil and, in the afternoon, even troubled areas retained to normal after paramilitary Rangers began patrolling on the main highway connecting Rawalpindi with Islamabad.
Public transport began to ply on the roads as fuel stations opened by noon. Shops and kiosks in small alleys and scattered unplanned localities and streets re-opened. It was a late start for the day, though.
"I still strongly feel the pain...but I came back to business so that people could get something to eat and also I could earn some money," Akhtar Abbassi, who runs a small store in Shumsabad area, said as he lifted the shutter of his shop. For past three day, residents of the most of Rawalpindi were not able to buy food items or other stuff.
Customers crowded a baker's shop about 500 yards away from Akhtar's store to find eatables for breakfast. As the three-day official mourning ended, things were expected to be on track by Monday.