A lot of letters on or about the state of affairs in Pakistan are rotating on the Internet these days. Most of them are emotional outbursts and some of them are logical. I have no idea and no way to ascertain the authenticity of any of the correspondences that i read everyday. But i have to believe hearsay on this. For me it is meaningless to try and go through the exercise of ascertaining the authenticity of the letter as it is not the writer but the thought expressed in the letter that is important to me.
So here is a series of letters to and from Bilal Musharraf to his friend Salman Ahmed of Junoon fame. I will post excerpts from each and provide you a link to the detailed account with context of the conversation.
Bilal Musharraf writes to Salman and urges him not to openly criticise his father for his criminal actions. He writes,
And ironically he concludes his letter thus,
Salman Ahmed writes an answer to the allegations levelled by Bilal in his letter and concludes his correspondence thus,
The full accounts can be read here.
So here is a series of letters to and from Bilal Musharraf to his friend Salman Ahmed of Junoon fame. I will post excerpts from each and provide you a link to the detailed account with context of the conversation.
Bilal Musharraf writes to Salman and urges him not to openly criticise his father for his criminal actions. He writes,
"This year though, has left me truly disappointed and hurt. If Salman feels the need to neutralize the burden of prior public contact with my father with his venomous rhetoric, I find it not just unjust but truly unfair. Looking back today, I am unable to decipher whether his motivation for prior public overtures towards my father were selfless or selfish in nature. I told him just last month in Calgary (at the Mystical Journey Tour: http://www.theismaili.org/he2-3.htm) the difference between him and Bono is that Bono wouldn’t post a picture with Bush on his own website, even if he sees the President as an instrument of change and not the personification of it."
And ironically he concludes his letter thus,
"No one is perfect, I realize. However to the extent one can, one must try to reduce one’s integrity gap which someone defined aptly as the difference between lived values and stated values."
Salman Ahmed writes an answer to the allegations levelled by Bilal in his letter and concludes his correspondence thus,
"All that I write above is not just my view but the view of millions of Pakistanis and independent observers. I’m not writing out of spite or revenge but conveying the voice of Pakistan’s not so silent majority. As an artist I have also publicly criticized previous Pakistani rulers who like your dad made the mistake of not respecting civil society or civil institutions and I will continue to do so in the future as well. Staying silent is no longer an option, Art disturbs and artists have no choice but to listen to their conscience.
The full accounts can be read here.
Comments