Yusuf Salahuddin, the grandson of Allama Iqbal, is a socialite and philanthropist and a well-known public figure of the country. Like his grandfather, he dreams of a happier, prospered, and enlightened Pakistan and is offering his services in this regard.
Main Yousuf is well known for his contributions to the promotion of the art and culture of Pakistan. Unlike other public figures, he left corporate societies in uptown Lahore to move to the famous Haveli Barood khana in the Walled City of Lahore. The Haveli itself is a masterpiece of art and aesthetics and Yusuf has done justice to it by opening it for art and culture events.
Recently, Mian Yousuf Salahuddin, colloquially known as Yousaf Salli, spared his time and had an exclusive chat with the team The Blind Side. Here is a glimpse of the evening spent at the Haveli Barood Khana.
First of all, tell us about your endeavor in music as you too have opened a YouTube channel now.
“I’m a music producer, I compose music and lyrics, make dramas, videos, and music shows. Definitely, I should be on YouTube, rather I should have made it 10 years ago. But I made it only a couple of years ago when I saw other people using my content so I thought it’s better to make my own channel.”
Do you think our current generation has forgotten about our values and needs to learn better manners?
“First of all, our young generation is far away from their roots and they don’t even know their own identity, their own ideology. Pakistan was founded on the basis of an ideology that we have forgotten. Iqbal is talked about and taught like just another poet, not for his contributions to this country. We should especially focus on Quaid and Iqbal. Unfortunately, we have become an uncivilized and uncultured nation today. We are not taught any morals and etiquette, neither at homes nor at educational institutes. If our syllabus at institutes was any good, we would be a much better nation. We would have known about our own identity and roots instead of looking at either East or West. It is very critical to restructuring the syllabus. Although the government claims to work on it I don’t know how successful it will be in this regard.”
“The truth is, it is a matter of passion. Imran Khan alone can’t change everything. His team should be equally passionate about Pakistan. Although our minister of education is a very sensible person and one of the competent members of PM’s team. But I think it’s not solely the minister’s job to do all the work, his team should be equally capable and keen to bring change and make a difference. Nothing can be achieved in life without passion.”
You say passion is needed but infect people with passion are discouraged in our society. How do you think it can be fixed?
“Unfortunately our past 70 years have brought us here today, where evils like corruption and fraud have become acceptable. If I’m corrupt, corruption is the way of life for my kids, and being fair will seem ridiculous to them. And we can’t even imagine the extent to which it has spread. A few days ago, my fridge broke down so I called a technician to fix it but he gave me a bill worth more than the fridge itself. So I called another technician who did the same job for an amount 10 times lesser. My point is, the corruption has become embedded so far in our roots that it will take a lot more effort to uproot it.”
Sohow should we deal with this evil of corruption?
“I remember, when Fatima Jinnah was nominated against Ayub Khan, she made a speech here at “Mochi Darwaza” and said; ‘The snow of corruption melts from the top and trickles down to the bottom.’ If the administration is corrupt, the public is bound to be corrupt. In our country, we saw how thieves, burglars, and ordinary vendors made their way to the national assembly and even became ministers. What impression do you think it leaves on the kids when they see a drug dealer as a Federal Minister? It’s definite that they make earning money the sole purpose of their life regardless of the means of earning it.”
You’rea strong supporter of Imran Khan but you also have good relations with other politicians. How does it impact your friendship with the Prime Minister?
“I have good terms with all political families of Pakistan but Imran Khan is my friend since my childhood. We grew up together, went to the same school, and had several tours and hunting and tracking expeditions together. It is a bond like none other. But still, I’m always honest to him, I openly criticize him whenever there is a need to. But the thing is, he is fighting a very tough fight. It is not easy to change a system this corrupt alone. He needs a good team and I keep reminding him that. But I don’t have any doubt over his honesty. He is a simple and hardworking man but that is not enough. You need more than honesty and patriotism to win this fight. You need to be a little wise also.”
Being the daughter of Allama Iqbal, how does your mother feel about the current situation of the country?
“My mother is also disappointed by the state we are in. When she watches the news and sees miseries of people, she says it is not the Pakistan Iqbal and Quaid envisioned about.”Y
Your services to the art and artists of this country are beyond praise. What motivates you to help them so selflessly?
“I try to hold the artists from aIl fields together because I see them as my own kids. I try to provide them a platform because no government-run institute has done that. All art, culture, and youth funds are used only to pay the salaries of the staff, and nothing is done on a ground basis. So I consider my home as a university too.
Now that Imran Khan has become Prime Minister, how often do you get to see him?
“Since he became PM, I don’t see him as often as I used to but we are always in touch on WhatsApp.”
Lastly what do think about Indo-Pak relations, how do you think they should be?
“In December 1946, Quaid e Azam said in an interview to BBC that ‘I wish Pakistan-India relations to be like US-Canada relations.’ If we achieve this, it will be in the best interest of both countries. Both countries have similar problems like poverty so we should have friendly relations and solve all the disputes peacefully.”
Here is the link to a detailed interview:
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