I am currently reading The Last Mughal by William Dalrymple. This is a wonderful account of the court of the last Mughal emperor Bahadur Shah Zafar and the events of 1857. I have reached a point where the sepoys of the Company have mutinied/rebelled (take your pick) and come to Delhi to swear allegiance to the Mughal emperor. The British are in the process of preparing their response. As a result of the sepoys arrival, civil administration in the city has broken down and there has been much looting, arson and killing. All markets in the city have closed and economic activity has virtually halted. A major concern of Bahadur Shah Zafar is to get the markets reopened so that people can get provisions. This is rather topical to what is happening in Karachi at the moment. Civil administration has collapsed. Markets have been closed for two days. Provisions are not arriving into the city. Daily wagers cannot get to work and hence are not getting paid as a result of which they are going hungry. General economic activity has halted as factories are shuttered. Importers and exporters cannot get their goods cleared because ports and customs are closed.
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