An assignment to gauge the general knowledge of 12-year-old students surprised a private school teacher in Karachi. The students, who were aware of the imposition of emergency, told her that only Harry Potter could save Pakistan.

"My students may be young but it is heartening to learn how well-informed they are," Sehar Rizvi, the Class seventh teacher, told the Daily Times.

"What distresses the students the most is the absence of a character like Dumbledore, the great wizard."

Sophiya, another teacher who gave the assignment to the students, said she is eager to put up their responses on the school's board.

When the students were prodded to name a person who could be the Dumbledore of Pakistan, they suggested it was Mohammed Ali Jinnah, the founder of the nation.

Twelve-year-old Saad Zia told his teacher, "Dumbledore and Jinnah are similar. Jinnah was a lawyer and today lawyers are in danger. Dumbledore was the headmaster and his students and school were in danger."

Hamza Niazi said Musharraf and Voldemort are similar because both "supported militancy".

The students compared the President's takeover with Voldemort and the death eaters.

Though the students could not find a Harry Potter in Pakistan, sacked Supreme Court Justice Iftikhar Chowdhury came closest to being the wizard, and the protesing lawyers were seen as Potter's friends.

The students, who were also aware of the ban on private TV news channels, thought state-run PTV was like "Daily Prophet" -- the wizardry newspaper. The banned channels were compared to "The Quibbler" the newspaper that defied Voldemort's diktats and was eventually shut down following the kidnapping of the editor's daughter.