Daily Times

Sir: I am an ardent reader of your esteemed newspaper and was excited when your paper informed about this book on Waris Mir highlighting his life and his journalistic viewpoint. From the report, he appears to be quite a rebel, certainly a man who stood by his convictions in a time when liberal thinking was considered blasphemy. He respected his pen. Sometimes, I strongly feel that progressive educated rebels are the answer to bring this country out of these gloomy dark ages. I hope your paper would do a review on his book; it would be fantastic to read about his life and discover more about his style of writing. Authors like these should be revived through their works in an uncomprehending Pakistan that hardly supports a reading culture. Javed Hashmi’s exclusive article in Daily Times describes him as a true democrat. One of his memorable incidents he describes is his visit to Dhaka in the esteemed company of Waris Mir. He talks about the contrast of life and death. One instance they were witnessing turmoil and deaths and the next being treated as royal guests at the PTV. He talks about a free media. The question in my mind arises: how credible is that statement today? Is the media free today? For the very critical Mr Hashmi to hold Waris Mir in such reverence would emphasise the fact that this writer would have been a “thunderous” hero with an impressive smile on his face.

ABDUL JABBAR
Lahore