Scholar and activist Auron Tare has reacted with irony to the new platform called “Pasqyra,” linking it to one of the well-known stories of Mulla Nasruddin. In one of his writings, Tare brings to attention the story of Nasruddin, who finds a mirror and, after seeing its face, concludes that someone threw it away because they did not like what it showed.

From this story, Tare builds a metaphor for the Albanian reality and the way institutions deal with the country's problems. He ironizes the fact that the Albanian "Mirror" is presented as a modern platform that will see, listen, control and help solve problems. According to Tare, the problem lies precisely in what this "mirror" can show if it is placed in front of reality. "What will happen if the Mirror starts showing things that we don't like?" is the question he raises.

Tare cites as examples illegal construction, burned forests, dried rivers, concreting of the coast, and tenders and concessions, arguing that these problems have not been invisible to Albanians.

TARE'S REACTION
MAGIC Mirror “Made in Albania”
The famous Sufi philosopher, Idriz Shah, in his collection of stories taken from the stories of Mulla Nasruddin, also has a very short, but very meaningful story. Titled "The Mirror".
Idriz Shah writes that when the famous Nasruddin was once walking alone on a deserted road, he noticed a shining object on the side of the road in front of his feet.
Nasruddin bent down and took it.
It was a strange thing, smooth and shiny. The famous mullah had never seen a mirror before. After holding it in his hand, he held it up in front of him and immediately a face appeared looking at him.
Nasruddin stepped forward. He brought the object closer. The face came closer. He moved it away. The face also moved away.
Nasruddin looked at him for a long time.
He didn't like what was in front of him at all. A strange face seemed ugly to him, and the longer he looked at it, the less he liked it.
Finally, Nasruddin understood, in his own way, the whole mystery.
Ah! – he said. Now I understand why someone threw this thing away, on the side of the road, as if it were worthless.
It must have been something truly unpleasant to look at this thing that didn't tell the truth, and, happy to have thrown it away, he continued on his way.
Nasruddin, as is known, was a wise man.
Or, at least, smart enough to realize that there were some things that weren't worth keeping at home. Especially when they showed you your true colors.
This whole story of Idriz Shah came to mind as I walked the winding road along the Vjosa River this early September and listened to the official radio announcer speaking passionately about a new platform called "Pasqyra".
The announcer was talking about a modern mirror. A digital mirror. A mirror equipped, of course, with a platform. Because in Albania, even mirrors, before showing the face, must have a platform.
But this Mirror "Made in Albania", in contrast to that of the famous Nasruddin, will see, listen, control, help. It will even solve problems.
Of course, it's a magic mirror.
In short, it will do everything that institutions, laws, administrations, inspectorates, ministries, satellites and all that honorable number of officials who have long lived under the care of the State have not been able to do for thirty-odd years.
And this, it must be admitted, is an achievement. Because until now we only had the State, now we will also have the mirror.
However, with the introduction of "Pasqyrë" into our troubles, a small problem arises.
What will happen if the Mirror starts showing things we don't like?
Because mirrors, unlike announcers, are not in the habit of reading the text they are given.
If you place a Mirror in front of an illegal building rising by the sea, which even our famous satellites have not been able to see, that poor mirror does not see a "strategic investment".
She sees an unauthorized building that defies the State.
If we place our Mirror in front of a burned forest, that desolate wilderness does not see "development", but rather empty promises that could not provide a bucket of water, let alone a plane.
If she takes a "completed" road forward, she doesn't see "infrastructure in transformation," but instead sees terribly expensive tenders.
And what if someone wanted to place "Pasqir" opposite the State? Or, even further away, opposite the Parliament?
Then this work could get really interesting and who knows what kind of magic our Magic Mirror would see.
But I think, modestly, the big problem of Albanians has never really been the lack of mirrors.
The problem wasn't that we didn't see what was happening in this small country of ours.
On the contrary. We have seen a lot.
We have seen mansions rise where the law said nothing could be built.
We have seen forests burning, rivers drying up, coastlines being concreted over, and public property suddenly becoming private.
We've seen tenders. We've seen concessions. We've seen promises.
We've also seen satellites that, surprisingly, see everything... except what we'd like them to see.
But the problem has been that every time we've seen something we didn't like, we've acted like Nastradin with the Mirror.
"We didn't want to see an ugly face of reality!"
And then we threw away the mirror and continued on our way.