In the capital, Islamabad, the five-star Marriott hotel opened its doors three months after a devastating truck bombing that killed more than 50 people and epitomized Islamic militants' growing reach and boldness.

    Staff and patrons alike described the hotel's partial reopening as a gesture of hope and defiance in the face of a concerted campaign of suicide bombings in Pakistani cities and towns over the last 18 months.

    The latest such attack occurred in Buner, a district adjoining the scenic Swat Valley. Pakistani troops have been battling Islamic insurgents over the last year in the valley, including some heavy fighting in recent days.

    Today's bombing came as residents were voting in a parliamentary by- election, using a local school as a polling place. Some voters had brought their children along, and up to four youngsters were reported to be among the dead.

    Some Pakistani news accounts said the attacker lured bystanders by pretending to be having mechanical difficulties, then blew up the car when a crowd had gathered around it. But other witnesses said the bomber rammed the vehicle into the school's boundary wall. The thunderous explosion left the street outside the school littered with bodies, with wounded people screaming for help. The force of the blast caved in the school's roof.

    In Islamabad, hundreds of people turned out for the reopening of the Marriott, which prior to the Sept. 20 bombing had been a gathering place for the capital's social elite as well as expatriates, diplomats and business leaders. The Czech ambassador and at least three Americans were killed in the attack.

    The five-star hotel, close to many government offices, is now a virtual fortress, fitted out with an enormous blast wall, a bulletproof antechamber where luggage will be screened. Sniffer dogs checked bags and security guards with automatic weapons at the ready patrolled the new marble lobby while lounge music tinkled in the background.

    Restaurants and banquet rooms were operating again, and the first few dozen rooms were ready for occupancy this week, with the full complement of nearly 300 rooms expected to be renovated in the next two months, hotel officials said.

    Twenty-six hotel staffers were killed in the attack, and many of those who were back on duty today had spent weeks recuperating from their injuries.

    "I am very proud to be back," said Muhammad Wasim, who was working in reception when the truck bomb went off. "I remember how everything went black; it was like an earthquake. But I did my best to help my injured colleagues and our customers."

    Before the attack, the hotel was the site of many society weddings and other high-profile gatherings. Patrons insisted they would not be kept away by security fears.

    "It's an axis of life here - Islamabad is a small city, and the Marriott is really integral to our daily lives," Zainab Omar, a television host and art dealer.

    As is the case with many major terror attacks in Pakistan, responsibility for the Marriott bombing has not been established. The government has said it believes the militant group Lashkar-e-Jhangvi carried out the bombing, but none of the alleged ringleaders has been arrested.

    --------

    Special correspondent Zulfiqar Ali in Peshawar, Pakistan, contributed to this report.

www.truthout.org/122908K