Speaking for the Govt.

Sir, - In his roundabout expression of support for India's stand, Mr. C. Raja Mohan (May 10) misses some of the main points of opposition to the National Missile Defence plan and the Theatre Missile Defence (TMD) - militarisation of space. In fact, the key issue is no longer stability between opposing strategic nuclear arsenals, but the so-called growing ``vulnerability'' of satellite communications and sensor systems to missile attack, according to some U.S. hawks.

A plausible scenario is that the U.S. is using missile defence as a stalking horse for the even more pressing issue of expanding its military's power into outer space as a defence against the supposed destruction of our galaxy of military and civilian satellites. The U.S. has become completely dependent upon space for intelligence and communications capabilities, as well as the wider civilian communications complex.

Would it be right for India to adopt its newfound realpolitik to the extent of abandoning all the ideals of peace and new international order just for the sake of embracing American friendship without any apparent gain? The problem with some of our defence experts is that they happen to be too close to the Government to dare to raise issues of wider concern.

Batuk Vora,

Ahmedabad

Sir, - The views expressed by Raja Mohan in `Diplomatic Notebook' (May 7) are praiseworthy. His remark - that foreign policy exuberance, even if irrational on occasions, is preferable to moribund slogans of the past - should be the bottomline of our foreign policy. I would like to commend the Government's initiative regarding the NMD plan. For the first time pragmatism seems to have prevailed. India cannot affect the U.S. even if it does not like its decisions on any issue. So instead of confronting the U.S., we should build on the warmth we have recently developed. If India has to take the lead in world affairs in this century, it has to shed unproductive rhetoric and market itself pro-actively. The latest exuberance is a step in the right direction.

Atul Mahajan,

Bangalore

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