ISLAMABAD, Pakistan — It was a place where diplomats hobnobbed over sushi, army generals and senators married off their sons and daughters, and society matrons exchanged choice tidbits of gossip while working out in the well-appointed gym.
When suspected Islamic militants used a massive truck bomb to blow up the five-star Marriott hotel in the heart of Pakistan’s capital three months ago, killing more than 50 people, many educated, affluent Pakistanis likened the gaping crater left in the parking lot to their own hollowed- out sense of security.
Sunday, the hotel reopened for business on a limited scale — with a 14-foot-high blast wall in place, some staff members still on leave as they recover from injuries and scores of scorched rooms still waiting to be refurbished.
