In 2005, there were four bomb blasts in London, later dubbed the 7/7 tragedy.

Three years later, there have been 7 bomb blasts in a day, again on 7/7 - but this time in Karachi. The blasts followed a bomb blast in Islamabad yesterday which left over 20 people dead, including 15 police personnel.

The series of bomb blasts in Karachi has led to a wave of fear in the city. There are panicked phone calls to loved ones, chaos in hospitals and major traffic jams in the city. Two children have been reportedly injured in the blast, and over 45 people have been admitted to various hospitals.

All this, despite the fact that Karachi had been placed on a high-security alert. I personally spoke to the Inspector General of Karachi Babar Khattak in the morning who assured me that there was heavy police deployment in the city. His reassuring words have gone up in smoke.

I have no words left to describe this tragedy, and how it affects Karachiites. We have been through this so many times, that it has ceased to faze us - instead, it reminds us each time that we are paying the price for someone else’s war.