By IANS
Islamabad : Pakistan "is going to break up in the years to come and everyone who can, should pack up their bags and leave", celebrated columnist and writer Ardeshir Cowasjee has advised.
"Pack up and leave if you can. There's no hope for this country. Jinnah said, 'Each successive government in this country would be worse than the previous one', and his prediction is coming true," Cowasjee said Friday at a get-together in Karachi.
"In the very first article that I wrote after the entire judicial crisis started in March, I told Musharraf: 'A good soldier always knows when to retreat.' Retreat, damn you, the time has come!"
Cowasjee, a Parsi (Zoroastrian), from a renowned family of shipbuilders and businessmen, is among the few families practising that faith who chose to remain in Pakistan after India's partition in 1947.
Both India and Pakistan will celebrate 60 years of independence next month. Cowasjee writes a regular column in English language daily Dawn.
Disapproving of his candour, Daily Times said: "A major portion of Cowasjee's conversation was peppered with remarks about religion that seemed a little out of place, especially as the audience had mostly turned up to hear him talk about Old Karachi.
"His tirade was weak in argument, disappointing for a columnist who has championed the cause of justice over the years. It was also disappointing to hear him comment on people's religious practices," the newspaper said.