As Salam Alaikum, Shalom alai khem, Paz sea contigo, May peace be upon you. It was 1971... I was 25 years old and the Chief Engineer of the Intercontinental Hotel at Dhaka in what was then East Pakistan. This was a time of great political unrest in my country as a result of ongoing racial and socioeconomic inequities between East and West Pakistan. Ultimately, the hostilities led to the breakup of Pakistan into two countries: East Pakistan became Bangladesh and West Pakistan became modern-day Pakistan. At the time, I had important relationships on both sides of the conflict. I was from West Pakistan, where my father served in the army. I had gone to a college in East Pakistan, and my wife was also from there. In August, my hotel was bombed just three days before a planned visit from US Senator Robert Kennedy. Because of my connections in both East and West Pakistan, the message I received was, "Things are going to literally 'blow up' and you better get out of harm's way."
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