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As Benazir Bhutto's motorcade slowly made its way through throngs of well-wishers Thursday — heading toward the family estate — the city of Karachi was in turmoil, even before the explosions near her motorcade later in the day. Traffic was snarled and residents were debating whether her return was good thing.

Villagers in Baluchistan, the country's poorest province, say Pervez Musharraf's government has done little to improve their lot. And yet, his party may still get their votes in Monday's elections. The village remains a feudal society where people follow the orders of their leaders.

Thousands turned out to pay respects to Pakistani opposition leader Benazir Bhutto, who was buried in a family mausoleum near Karachi. New information has come to light about the final moments before her motorcade was attacked Thursday. Her assassination set off riots, but the violence seems to be subsiding.

Karachi is Pakistan's largest and richest city — and it has an appalling reputation. Karachi is witness to frequent sectarian attacks, gun battles and suicide attacks — a touch of Baghdad. Politically, Karachi is one of the few remaining bastions of support for Pakistan's increasingly unpopular president.

Political turmoil Pakistan entered 2008 with the country still enmeshed in the political turmoil caused by the assassination of Benazir Bhutto. Election officials will announce tomorrow whether to postpone next week's parliamentary elections next week. But officials say they're leaning toward a postponement.

Pakistan's being battered by a fresh wave of attacks by the Taliban and their associates. Recently militants have killed foreign tourists, a tribal peace committee chief, policemen and soldiers. Many Pakistanis feel anger and frustration over the unrelenting violence in their country. But in the Hindu Kush mountains, people dream of peace.

A new government started work in Pakistan this month. It faces a country awash with conflict. To get a sense of how serious this is, NPR's Philip Reeves focused on a 48-hour period. He chose this past weekend.

Britain's Royal Wedding is the biggest national celebration in 30 years. Prince William marries Kate Middleton on Friday and the British are planning a big party. Blackpool is in England's north, and residents there embrace a good party.

Over the nearly thousand mile journey down the middle of Pakistan, we've been meeting NPR's Philip Reeves' fellow travelers, and learning about their hopes and fears at this stage in history.

Ailsa Change talks to former Deputy Secretary of State Richard Armitage, who says the bulk of the military presence in Afghanistan should leave, and only a small counterterrorism force should remain.