Opinion - Letters to the Editor   

Pakistan on notice

The editorial "Pakistan on notice" (July 18) clearly drives home the futility of continuing talks with Pakistan. Peace with Pakistan is a distant fantasy. The terrorist attacks on innocent people will continue and the only way to end them is to give a stern warning to Pakistan.

Parampratap Singh Khosa,
Chandigarh

* * *

Following the July 11 terror strikes in Srinagar and Mumbai, India has postponed the Foreign Secretary-level talks with Pakistan and the peace process seems to have come under a cloud. Did New Delhi realise only after July 11 that Islamabad is not serious about its January 2004 commitment? Did it not do so even when a large cache of arms was captured in Aurangabad? If it had no problem in continuing the peace process then, why hesitate now? What better option does it have other than holding talks with Pakistan and Kashmiri leaders to resolve the Kashmir issue?

Manpreet Singh,
Udham Singh Nagar, Uttaranchal

* * *

Pulling out of the peace process would be a knee-jerk reaction. The peace process has made remarkable progress in the last three years. It has borne fruit because of tremendous investment by the ordinary people, artists, media, politicians, and the governments. It should now be taken to its logical conclusion.

Pranav Sachdeva,
New Delhi

* * *

The time is for out-of-box thinking in relation to Pakistan. We should openly court the leaders of the movement for restoration of democracy in Pakistan and encourage them to follow the example of the Nepalese. We should not hesitate to state openly in international forums that only a secular, democratic Pakistan can ensure permanent peace in the region.

Dinkar Koppikar,
Tallahassee, Florida

* * *

Unless we demonstrate strongly that we have no mercy for those who kill the innocent and those who abet the killings, neither G8 nor any other forum can be of any help to us. For retaliatory action, we should follow Israel's example. We have to prove to the world that we are second to none in cracking down on terrorists, whichever country they emanate from.

K.V. Sundararajan,
Madurai

* * *

The jihadi outfits cannot be dismantled unless the country from which they operate vows to do so. India should cut off all diplomatic ties till the Musharraf regime fulfils its promise. Harsh notice that the peace process cannot continue, as usual, will have no impact.

T.R. Krishna Chaitanya,
Tirupati, A.P.

* * *

As a moderate on this side of the border, I appreciate Foqia Sadiq Khan for the views expressed in the article "Moderates on both sides must assert themselves" (OP-ED, July 17). As a human rights scholar, he has drawn attention to injustices being done to Muslims worldwide, including Kashmir. One wonders whether he is aware of the injustice suffered by thousands of Kashmiri Pandits who have been either driven out or killed since the insurgency began. Our moderates would also like to tell him that Gujarat is not India and that he need not worry about a possible backlash.

S. Karunanithi,
Chennai

Printer friendly page  
Send this article to Friends by E-Mail

Stories in this Section

Massacre of the innocent
A small hike makes big news
The onus is on the secularist
Climate-change deniers have now gone nuclear
Corrections and clarifications
A controversial survey on India
Terror in Chhattisgarh
Pakistan on notice
On POTA
Doctors and strike
West Asia crisis
"We can't just arrest anyone who prays five times and has a beard"

Copyright © 2006, The Hindu. Republication or redissemination of the contents of this screen are expressly prohibited without the written consent of The Hindu