President Pervez Musharraf's son Bilal and rock band Junoon's guitarist Salman Ahmed, who till recently were good pals, are now clashing in cyberspace over the imposition of emergency in Pakistan.
Ahmed, who was a supporter of Musharraf's policies especially his stand against terrorism and his vision of "enlightened moderation", has been prolific on the cyberspace, calling the President a "dictator" and "Pharaoh", since the imposition of emergency on November 3.
This provoked an angry response from Bilal. In his letters, which have now been taken off most websites, Bilal has accused Ahmed, who he says was a close friend and a spiritual guide of sorts since 1998 -- of indulging in "venomous rhetoric" against his father.
"If Salman feels the need to neutralise 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 decide whether his motivation for prior public overtures towards my father were selfless or selfish in nature," Bilal wrote.
"No one is perfect, I realise. 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," he said.
In his response, New York-based Ahmed wrote that despite their close friendship, "staying silent under the present conditions that Pakistan is undergoing, is no longer an option".
My prior public support to your father's government along with that of the vast majority of Pakistanis was given in the belief that he would deliver on his public promises to fight extremism, respect civil institutions, bring accountability to corrupt politicians, open up a free and independent media and reduce the immoral gap between Pakistan's rich and poor," Ahmed said.
"My support for your father's government was never meant to be taken as a blank cheque for the state machinery to run amok and start dismantling civil institutions, making deals with crooks and plunderers, treating civil servants like common criminals, kidnapping and killing innocent Pakistanis under the guise of the 'war on terror' and illegally spying, torturing and jailing thousands of Pakistanis."
Bilal also said Ahmed's association with Musharraf was part of a "marketing strategy" by the rock musician.
Noting that "rock musicians don't usually like hanging out with military dictators", Ahmed wrote: "I wrote many candid e-mails to you in August and September of this year, sharing my concern about your father's policies and his government's high-handed tactics. You responded by saying I was too harsh to which I reminded you that true friends are not meant to be mistaken for sycophants and cronies but are a true barometer of the public's perception."
"You chose to ignore these warning e-mails and dismissed them as emotionalism. In October, you promised that there would be no reason to impose emergency in Pakistan and you assured me that your father respects the judiciary and has spoken to the Chief Justice of the Supreme Court in this regard. Alas, even that myth has now been totally shattered."
The open letters have generated a great deal of debate in cyberspace, with many accusing Bilal of "attacking" Ahmed.
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