Don't join the war

Sir,- Soon after September 11, when the U.S. talked of a ``war'' against terrorism, India sprang to offer all assistance when it should have demanded that the matter be first discussed in the U.N. Now the British Prime Minister has come and gone and we have not got our list of terrorist organisations included in U.S. ``list''. Gen. Musharraf again claims that the terrorist actions in Kashmir are a freedom struggle. His U.S. mentors are quiet. And all along our politicians and bureaucrats could not protest or even make a strong statement to the U.S.

As compiled by historian William Blum, the U.S. has bombed the following countries since World War II: China 1945-46; Korea 1950-53; China 1950-53; Guatemala 1954; Indonesia 1958; Cuba 1959-60; Congo 1964; Peru 1965; Laos 1964-73; Vietnam 1961-73; Cambodia 1969-70; Guatemala 1967-69; Grenada 1983; Libya 1986; El Salvador 1980s; Nicaragua 1980s; Panama 1989; Iraq 1991-99; Bosnia 1995; Sudan 1998 and Yugoslavia 1999. It is now the turn of Afghanistan.

India must support the U.S. in rooting out terrorism because that is our self-interest. But since the U.S. has now stated that it ``reserves the right'' to attack even other countries in their ``war'' against terrorism, India must strongly oppose the use of military force in this manner to ensure that it does not join the long list of countries bombed by the U.S.

Maj. Gen. S. G. Vombatkere (Retd),

Mysore

* * *

Sir,- America is at war with the Taliban for the evil visited upon it. We are not involved except on the greater question of controlling terrorism. We have done the proper thing in telling the U.S. that we are with them. But this acceptance on their part does not put us on a par with them. Our leaders should not be misled by our bureaucrats and demand preferential treatment nor harp on the importance given to Pakistan.

B. Rathnakar Rai,

Bangalore

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