Servants in stiff white uniforms serve coffee and snacks, as the Governor sits enthroned in a leather chair and politely tells Stoios-Braken how honoured he is to receive her. The reception is at the Governor’s residence, a palatial building that was once home to the first Governor and founder of Pakistan, Mohammad Ali Jinnah (a pacifist). Colourful ankle-long dress, her long hair swept back into a pony tail. The programme for today includes a meeting with the Governor of Sindh Province, and she looks impeccable. On the back seat, Stoios-Braken quickly puts the final touch to her lipstick. Terrorism, murder, disappearance and rape are regular features in the columns of national newspapers. All of Pakistan suffers from a poor image – the inhospitable border area with Afghanistan was issued a negative travel advice because of the Taliban and Al-Qaeda. Last year, the English newspaper The Independent declared Karachi the most dangerous city in the world. Their job is to ensure that the Dutch Ambassador gets to her meeting safely. These full-bearded men with their black head kerchiefs are our escort. Police officers hang out of the open car in front of us, gesturing wildly with their hands and guns to clear out of the way. Rickshaws, busses, mopeds and donkey carts race each other in rows five, sometimes ten deep. Traffic in this harbour city of more than twenty million inhabitants (most of them extremely poor) is complete chaos. Children stroll along the stinking heaps, looking for anything of value. The banks are formed from mountains of waste. Buffalos by the side of the road, up to their bellies in the water of a canal that’s also a sewage outlet. ‘I could never get used to Karachi’s smell.’ Ardi Stoios-Braken looks out of the window of her armoured car. What’s that like? VOX joined her on a working visit in the world’s most dangerous city. A woman alone – her family stayed home – in a conservative Islamic republic where murder and kidnap are the order of the day. In September she was appointed Dutch Ambassador to Pakistan. Ardi Stoios-Braken (52) studied Public Administration and Development Studies in Nijmegen.
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