Retired army officers are renowned for sounding off about a favourite hobby horse from behind the safety of their rose bushes or the bar of the local gymkhana club.

Indeed 'Yours disgusted' is all too often the signature tune of an ex-soldier who takes the time and trouble to express his views in the letter columns of such London-based newspapers as The Daily Telegraph or The Times.

But India's Colonel (retired) Harish Puri was not prepared for the artillery barrage of protest from across the border when he had the temerity to write an 'open' letter to Pakistan's Army Chief, General Pervez Kayani.

True, there are aspects of the letter from the retired signaller that could be interpreted as gloating. For example he recalls the Pakistan Army's surrender to India in 1971. He also cites a Pakistani soldier as telling him that the 'most fearsome' army in the world would be made up of Pakistani soldiers led by Indian officers.

But the overall tenor and thrust of Puri's letter, sent from his retired lodgings in Pune, is actually about the Pakistan Army's feeble response to the rise of the Taliban, reflecting as well the Indian intelligentsia's concern about the rise of religious extremists across the border and the long-term threat they pose to India.

Puri's letter, which was reprinted in full by The News in Lahore, has unleashed a storm of anger from many of his Pakistani counterparts who accuse him of everything from 'slander' to 'unbecoming conduct'. Puri has told Asian Affairs that Pakistani responses to his letter have ranged from the appreciative to pure hate of the vilest kind.

Among the more extreme and untraceable responses is one that declares, 'Nobody cares about your (India) filthy AIDS infested nation.' Another blogger comments, 'I think this Indian idiot colonel is still living in fools' paradise? His fears about Taliban are quite evident from his write up. The rascal wants Pak army to do a job for him or his filthy nation…Instead of wasting his time in media he should better do something to counter the Taliban's march to India. They should lock up their daughters before it is too late for them.'

Puri's letter to Kayani starts off by commenting on two photographs of surrender. The first is of the Pakistani Army surrendering to Indian forces in Dhaka on December 16, 1971. The second is of the unnamed teenage girl being flogged by the Taliban in Swat.

'The surrender by any army is always a sad and humiliating event,' writes Puri. (Pakistan's) 'General Niazi surrendered to a professional army that had outnumbered and outfought him…but much more sadly, the video of the teenager being flogged represents an even more abject surrender by the Pakistan army…what happened on your watch was something no Army commander should have to live through. The girl could have been your daughter or mine.'

He goes on to say, “Sir, it is imperative that we recognise our enemy without delay. I use the word 'our' advisedly — for the Taliban threat is not far from India's borders. And the only force that can stop them from dragging Pakistan back to the Stone Age is the force that you command. Indeed, the fate of your nation, the future of humankind in the subcontinent, rests with you.'

Among some of the less extreme responses is one from retired Brigadier Mateen M. Mohajir who writes in the English language The News, 'Regarding the colonel's snide remarks insinuating 'surrender' to the dreadful 'Taliban' in Swat, and inaction of the army against the perpetrators of the dastardly flogging of the 17-year girl, the matter is sub judice in the Supreme Court and shall not be commented upon. As for the army, it is in Swat as required, in support of and in assistance to the civil security forces and to the NWFP government. It is not in a war zone and nor is it a judicial/policing force and hence cannot take any independent action. From one honourable retired soldier to another honourable retired soldier: best wishes, and may the light of understanding envelope you.'

A sharper response is forthcoming from retired Major Anwar Pahsa from Lahore who writes, 'Before blaming us, the Indian colonel should have seen what is happening in India. What about the insurgencies in Kashmir, Assam and other parts of India? Being an army officer, Colonel Puri must be aware of who is behind all this unrest in Pakistan. The writer quite cleverly has tried to hide the role of the Indian government which is behind all this mess as it operates from a veritable safe haven in Afghanistan. As for the flogging of the Swat girl, yes it is barbaric and has been condemned by one and all. However, surely such barbaric acts — and worse — have happened and do still happen in India as well.'

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