My first knowledge of Book Seller of Kabul came into existence on 18/11/05 when I was watching Asne Seierstad being interviewed on BBC 'Hard Talk extra', further research led me to her other interviews and her second work titled One hundred and one days.

In all her interviews Asne Seierstad seems to be unapologetic for having misrepresented Afghan culture and for betraying confidences and hospitality of Shah Mohammed. She was not working in a typical war zone as many of you would want us believe. She was in fact working under the protection and blessing of foreign forces and has disgracefully exploited Afghanistan's misfortune while her much hyped girl's school in Afghanistan is nothing but a cover up for her sins. In her two books we are exposed only to Asne Seierstad's version of the story. We might hear different story later from Abbas, Aliya, Amir and Shah Mohamed, probably when the foreign forces have left Iraq and Afghanistan. And from the widows of Chechnya even much later, probably when her third book on Chechnya has been published and also publicized out of proportion by the western media.

Asne Seierstad at the moment openly admits that the Russian Army is brutal but who knows what will be her stand when she finishes writing her next book on Chechnya. She might probably not spare Chechen women who looked after her, at the time when their husbands were either killed or away fighting the Russians.

I myself have twice turned down requests by western writers who wanted to discuss with me on matters touching our way of life simply because I mistrust writers who have an axe to grind. If I had submitted to any of their requests I would probably have ended like Shah Mohamed with my name changed to Sultan Khan and probably an extra girls school built on our neighborhood.