Sinister Portents"With the army having the upper hand in Pakistan, the attack on civilians in Kargil has sinister portents for the future of Indo-Pak ties." - Amit Banerjee, DelhiTime to Hit BackPakistan's political leaders want to keep the Kashmir issue alive for their own survival ("War on Peace", October 13). And even if Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif moves one step forward to normalise relations with India, Pakistan's powerful army will force him to move two steps back. The unprovoked firing on Kargil is just another example of the Pakistani army's hawkish approach towards India. Though Indian troops have always given a befitting reply to Pakistan's aggression, the fact remains that it has failed to deter soldiers across the border from launching attack after attack on innocent civilians. Our forces should pre-empt such aggressive moves and launch deterrent action, rather than adopt a defensive role.- Lt. Col. (Retd) B.L. Anand, DelhiThe firing on civilians in Kargil and the loss of innocent lives made a mockery of the Gujral doctrine and the meeting between Indian Prime Minister I.K. Gujral and his Pakistani counterpart Nawaz Sharif in New York. Is there any point in holding talks with Pakistan when it continues hostilities along the border in Jammu and Kashmir and abets instability in the state? Unilateral concessions will lead nowhere; India should teach Pakistan a lesson.- Naveen Haldia, JaipurThe government spends crores of rupees on the security of former prime ministers, ministers, police officers and even bureaucrats. But isn't the security of scores of villagers along the Indo-Pakistan border the responsibility of the Government? Does the loss of 17 lives in Kargil have no meaning for the Indian Government? While bullet-proof cars and commandos protect the politicians, don't the poor people in border areas deserve even "shelling shelters" to shield them from Pakistan's bombardment?- Yasmin Siddiqui, AligarhPoor Track RecordRam Vilas Paswan has maimed and mauled the country's economy ("Great Train Robber", October 13). First, by granting government employees more than what was recommended by the Fifth Pay Commission, and now by derailing the railways' economy with his populist bonanzas. Paswan has a penchant for introducing and flagging off new trains while neglecting maintenance and services. This has resulted in an alarming rise in train accidents. Decades ago, railway minister Lal Bahadur Shastri had resigned after a single train accident; Paswan, however, is unfazed even after a series of accidents.- S.K. Shah, Delhi.The Porno ScourgeIndians are no longer a ghast when they come across stories of rampant proliferation of pornographic material in the country ("The Smut Glut", October 13). Most of us have come across this phenomenon in some form or the other. The people promoting aids to hedonistic activities are far more dangerous than our external enemies because they work stealthily and strike at the very roots of our society and values. And a magazine like India Today, known for its impeccable content, should desist from publishing pornographic material, even it is only to criticise a trend.- T.V.P. Rao, Ambala Cantt., HaryanaHome TruthsThe Indian cricket team trounced Pakistan 4-1 in Toronto to lift the Sahara Cup and subsequently put up a brave display in Karachi ("On the Road to Recovery", October 13). But inefficient batting by frontline batsmen caused the team to mess up things in Lahore. The Indian team, however, had to contend with the hitherto unseen onslaught of Shahid Afridi and the pyrotechnics of Ejaz Ahmed against inexperienced bowlers on a beauty of a pitch. Though India lost the decider, its performance was courageous and promising. The bowlers - most of them new to international cricket - performed adequately. But they need time to adapt to the pulls and pressures of top-level cricket.- M.G. Prakash Khariwal, BangaloreWith India mauled by Pakistan 2-1 in the Wills Challenge Cup, one thing is certain - it is missing the aggressive batting of its ace player Sachin Tendulkar, who has been in poor form since the West Indies tour. The cares of captaincy are taking their toll and Sachin is unable to play his natural game. The reins of the team should be handed over to someone else if this master batsman is to feel unburdened and bat like Sri Lanka's Sanath Jayasuriya.- Anil Ramchandra Torne, Pune"Corruption is known to breed crime. And it's not surprising that in a corruption-ridden country like ours,there has been analarming increase in extortion incidents." - Deepak Sapra, LucknowUnjustified CriticismWhy has Tavleen Singh been spewing venom at government employees ("Old Red Wine", October 13)? "They are among the most hated people in the country," she thunders in her know-all avatar. What can rudderless government employees do to change the prejudiced mindset of columnists who continue to paint a whole community black without knowing even a few of its members closely? Will Singh please meet a few government employees to ascertain their side of the story? That is, if the pressures of writing a column week after week have not started telling adversely on her abundant journalistic abilities- J.S. Khurana, DelhiColoured AttitudeThe nellie massacre was undoubtedly a tragic chapter in the Assam agitation, but your follow-up article ("Forgotten Massacre", October 6) gives a communal colour to the killings and the agitation. This is totally unjustified and smacks of motivated reporting. The faults that have been pointed out are also highly debatable. For instance, providing gun licences to illegal immigrants is not wise.- Bedabrata Borah, MumbaiCricket DiplomacyThe people of India as well as Pakistan love cricket ( "A Pitch for Diplomacy", October 6). But whenever our cricketers clash, their "love for the game" transforms into "love for the country" and cheering the respective squads becomes a form of patriotism. This is sad because then cricket becomes war. To change this trend the media should launch a campaign to garner support for the opposite team's players. We must learn to appreciate a good ball, a good shot - whether it's made by an Indian or a Pakistani player.- Arinjay Kumar, Delhi"If Tata Tea is charged with reason for buying security from rebels in Assam, then all our MPs and MLAs should also be similarly charged."- A. Ranganathan, SingaporeSelf-ProtectionWould a company, which has had an enviable record of contribution to several fields, jeo pardise its interests by aligning with subversive forces ("Storm in a Tea Garden", September 29)? It is absurd to believe so, because the Tatas have far more interests outside Assam than in the state. Paying to obtain protection is not a crime. Self-preservation is a primary instinct and paying ransom to save lives and property even more so. Didn't the V. P. Singh government give in to Kashmiri terrorists' demands in 1989 to secure the release of the then home minister Mufti Mohammad Sayeed's daughter? The Tatas' crime is only that they gave in to ULFA's threats. But with an ineffective government, did they have a choice?- E.N. Shankar, MumbaiSurveying GloomThe survey on primary education shows that illiteracy is at the root of many evils of our society and we should all do our bit to fight it ("Class Struggle", October 13). Industrialists, who usually fund political parties, should instead start an "education fund" to build schools and provide teaching aids in far-flung rural areas. Retired school teachers and educationists should chip in by teaching children from the slums. Private organisations, running schools in the big cities, should provide their buildings and facilities in the evenings for teaching poor children and even for adult education. Only then can we ensure a better tomorrow for our future generations.- Divya Rathore, JaipurPublished By: AtMigration Published On: Oct 27, 1997--- ENDS ---
