بِسْمِ الله الرَّحمَنِ الرَحيم

Open Letter from Hizb ut-Tahrir to Musharraf, the President of Pakistan

Peace be upon those who tread the path of guidance,
Mr. President,

We have decided to send you this letter on the occasion of the holding of Presidential elections.
We convey our advice to you following the example of RasulAllah سلم و عليه الله صلى, who advised several leaders of the Qur'aish while fully aware of the fact that they will neither heed guidance nor follow the true deen. This action of RasulAllah سلم و عليه الله صلى was in accordance with the command of Allah سبحانه وتعالى,

لِمَ تَعِظُونَ قَوْمًا اللَّهُ مُهْلِكُهُمْ أَوْ مُعَذِّبُهُمْ عَذَابًا شَدِيدًا قَالُوا مَعْذِرَةً إِلَى رَبِّكُمْ وَلَعَلَّهُمْ يَتَّقُونَ[ [الأعراف:164
“And when a community among them said: "Why do you preach to a people whom Allah is about to destroy or to punish with a severe torment?" (The preachers) said: "In order to be free from guilt before your Lord (Allah), and perhaps they may fear Allah." [Surah al-A'raf 7:164]

Accordingly, we advise you to seek forgiveness from Allah سبحانه وتعالى on the Day when all souls will be brought forth to Him سبحانه وتعالى. And we pray to Allah سبحانه وتعالى that you become one who fears Him سبحانه وتعالى and that you seek guidance.

Mr. President,
You served your rule so far to spread the colonialist influence of the kuffar, especially that of America in this Islamic Land, increasing the slavery of the Muslims and undermining their deen. The following are just some of the crimes you committed to establish the kuffar over the Muslims:

· With regards to authority, whose origin lies with the Muslims and which is their right to grant to whomever they choose, you resorted to ruling by force and with the support of the colonialists, specifically America. This weakened your position over the Muslims as the nature of Islam, which is in their hearts and minds, prevents them from submitting to the oppressor forever. Over time your rule weakened so much that your colonialist masters, the Americans, were forced to seek the support of their competitors in the affairs of Pakistan, the British. This is why you found yourselves suddenly having to scramble for a deal with your bitterest rivals, those whom you vowed to keep out of rule, denouncing them as looters and plunderers.

· With regards to the lands of the Muslims, you created conditions whereby the Americans established a new military presence in the region, which gave them an advantage over the Muslims of South and Central Asia. You sacrificed hundreds of Muslim soldiers to protect the American occupation from the Muslim resistance in the tribal areas. You abandoned the Muslims of Kashmir, declaring Jihad against the Hindu occupying forces as a crime.

· With regards to the resources of the Muslims, at the behest of the colonialist financial institutions, you passed on the ownership of energy resources to private interests, burdening the public with rising costs of petrol, gas and electricity and strangling Pakistan's industrial and agricultural activity. In submission to the colonialist, you burdened the people with oppressive taxes such as GST, which placed heavier burdens upon the people. You created conditions for the transfer of vital and strategic projects like the oil and gas extraction to the kuffar. You took loans from the colonialist financial institutions thereby allowing them to wield more influence.

· With regards to the deen of the Muslims, you launched a campaign against the youth to seduce them away from the deen by spreading the corrupt Western values through educational reforms, cultural activities and media propaganda. You oversaw the slaying of the elderly, women and children in Lal Masjid so as to make them an example for the Muslims of Pakistan, who dearly desire the implementation of Islam. You resorted to spying and imprisonment of the youth of Hizb ut-Tahrir just because they invite people to Islam, banning Hizb ut-Tahrir and putting obstacles in the way of the court proceedings to remove the ban.
These were just some of the major crimes you committed, though we know of many others, including those that you worked hard to conceal from the people. Moreover, we felt it is unnecessary to reveal to the people your corrupted belief, for the evil by which they are touched through your actions is enough for them to know. And throughout your perpetration of all these crimes, you fell into the fire of becoming one with the kuffar even though Allah سبحانه وتعالى warned oppressors like you that,

يَا أَيُّهَا الَّذِينَ آمَنُوا لاَ تَتَّخِذُوا الْيَهُودَ وَالنَّصَارَى أَوْلِيَاءَ بَعْضُهُمْ أَوْلِيَاءُ بَعْضٍ وَمَنْ يَتَوَلَّهُمْ مِنْكُمْ فَإِنَّهُ مِنْهُمْ إِنَّ اللَّهَ لاَ يَهْدِي الْقَوْمَ الظَّالِمِينَ (المائدة: 51)
"O you who believe do not take the Jews and Christians as allies, they are allies to each other and those of you that take allies from them are indeed of them and Allah does not guide the oppressors" (Surah al-Maida 5:51)

We therefore call upon you to repent the misdeeds that you committed in your rule so far and seek forgiveness from your Lord سبحانه وتعالى for the heinous acts committed. The very least that you can do in the hope of atoning for your sins, is to make way for the sincere and capable to succeed you in ruling. If not then you are destined to humiliation at the hands of the Ummah when the Khilafah is re-established, soon by the will of Allah سبحانه وتعالى, and what is even worse for you is the severe punishment in the hereafter. Allah سبحانه وتعالى says,

وَلاَ تَحْسَبَنَّ اللَّهَ غَافِلاً عَمَّا يَعْمَلُ الظَّالِمُونَ إِنَّمَا يُؤَخِّرُهُمْ لِيَوْمٍ تَشْخَصُ فِيهِ الأَبْصَارُ + مُهْطِعِينَ مُقْنِعِي رُءُوسِهِمْ لاَ يَرْتَدُّ إِلَيْهِمْ طَرْفُهُمْ وَأَفْئِدَتُهُمْ هَوَاءٌ[ [إبراهيم:42,43
“Consider not that Allah is unaware of that which the Zalimun (opressors) do, but He gives them respite up to a Day when the eyes will stare in horror. (They will be) hastening forward with necks outstretched, their heads raised up (towards the sky), their gaze returning not towards them and their hearts empty (from thinking because of extreme fear).” [Surah Ibrahim 14:42 & 43]

O Allah سبحانه وتعالى bear witness that we conveyed!

وَمَا عَلَيْنَا إِلاَّ الْبَلاَغُ الْمُبِينُ
“And our duty is only to convey clearly (the Message)” (Surah Ya-Sin 36:17)

Hizb ut-Tahrir
Wilayah Pakistan
6 October 2007