Secret power

This refers to the article ‘Death of a bookstore’ (September 3) by Prof Ziauddin. In a country that calls itself an ‘Islamic Republic’, the closing of a bookstore like this is disturbing news. In Pakistan those who have money do not read books, and those who want to read have no money to buy books. For the book-seller in distress here is a pragmatic option: a pizza shop.

The largest libraries and the finest universities are located in the West. Even the Mongols knew the secret of Muslims’ power; they burnt the libraries of Baghdad when Halaku conquered it in 1258. The Muslims of today are the most ignorant people on earth; that is the principal reason for all our troubles.

Brig (r) Usman Shah

Rawalpindi