Let hearts take over

Sir, - Now that the `heads' have successfully failed (in Agra), it is time for the `hearts' to play a vital role in reaching the destination, sidelining the politicians and bureaucrats.

I would like to offer a suggestion. Both India and Pakistan should start a `school interaction' programme. One thousand schools should be listed by both countries for participation.

Each school must invite about ten to twenty children from another school of its choice every year to visit, stay, mingle freely and interact with children from across the border. The food and accommodation should be taken care of by the respective schools.

The cost of travel can be borne by the Governments, the NGOs or corporate houses.

By encouraging interaction of school children, one can hope that the future generation may one day practise the art of living together in peace.

Victor Frank,

Chennai

Sir, - In a response to the nuclear tests by India and Pakistan, the then U.S. Assistant Secretary for South Asian Affairs, Mr. Karl F. Inderfurth, told a Congressional on July 13, 1998:

``This is what we have established that we want to see both Governments (India and Pakistan) do: conduct no further nuclear tests; sign and ratify the Comprehensive Test Ban Treaty immediately and without conditions; refrain from deploying nuclear weapons or missile systems; halt the production of fissile material for nuclear weapons; formalise existing policies not to export weapons of mass destruction and missile technology or equipment; and resume direct dialogue to address the root causes of tension between them, including Kashmir.''

Three years later, on the same day that India and Pakistan were at the summit of their detente, the U.S. decides it is a good time to conduct a test of its missile defence shield idea and proceeds to tear up the ABM Treaty which renders the CTBT or the pursuit of any non- proliferation objectives meaningless. No wonder the Agra summit stalled.

Daniel P. Quinn,

Florida, U.S.

Sir, - Those who carped about the folly of inviting Gen. Musharraf to India for talks will now snicker at the absurdity of the whole summit business. As a matter of public record, Gen. Musharraf's bonafides were always in doubt. Mr. Advani and Mr. Jaswant Singh showed poor judgment in sponsoring Gen. Musharraf's invitation. The General was surely being faux-naif in seeking to restrict the talks to the ``core'' issue of Kashmir. It was equally puerile of Mr. Vajpayee to pin his faith on ``personal chemistry'' to achieve a broad consensus. As Harish Khare put it, in ``Agra: a failure foretold'' (July 18) ``the Mohajir has delivered.'' For himself.

Ganesh S. Krishnan,

Minnesota, U.S.

Sir, - The failure of the Agra summit was preordained when the agenda was hijacked by the Musharraf team to exclude everything but Kashmir. In doing so, Gen. Musharraf has reinforced his image as the political mask of the jehadi forces in Pakistan. This act on the General's part is rivalled only by the Pakistani decision to explode nuclear devices in response to the Indian nuclear tests - the decision that took Pakistan irreversibly down the path of destitution.

The Agra summit was a lifeline given to Gen. Musharraf by Mr. Vajpayee and the former used the rope to string himself from the nearest tree. Like the nuclear tests, this summit will also do a lot for the Pakistani pride but there will be an international backlash and the country will accelerate down its path of impoverishment.

Sudhama Gopalan,

Chicago, U.S.

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