https://pjmedia.com/richardfernandez/2008/09/20/fear-and-loathing-in-islamabad/feed/PJ Media is a leading news site covering culture, politics, faith, homeland security, and more. Our reporters and columnists provide original, in-depth analysis from a variety of perspectives.en-usSat, 13 Jun 2026 10:29:51 -0400<![CDATA[When a truck bomb goes off a hotel, the first question the press asks is &#8220;why do they hate it so?&#8221; The Washington Post laid out the dry facts surrounding the destruction of the 290 room Marriott Hotel in Islamabad by a car bomb. &#8220;Employees and guests drenched in blood streamed into city streets. The building&#8217;s simple red Marriott logo was shown going up in flames on cable television. Chief executive Bill Marriott said in a blog post yesterday evening that many of those killed were employees.&#8221; One of possible victims was the Czech ambassador to Pakistan. Bloomberg says &#8220;an explosives-laden truck blew up at the Marriott&#8217;s front gate, creating a 6 meter (20 foot) deep crater at the main entrance and sparking a fire that burned through the building for hours. More than one metric ton (2,200 pounds) of explosives was used in the device, GEO TV reported, without saying where it got the information. The detonation was heard 30 kilometers (18 miles) away in neighboring Rawalpindi. &#8221; That&#8217;s what happened. As to why it happened, we must turn to the Guardian.]]>Sat, 20 Sep 2008 23:51:00 -0400<![CDATA[Richard Fernandez]]>https://pjmedia.com/richard-fernandez/2008/09/20/fear-and-loathing-in-islamabad-n186120