Date:05/09/2005 URL: http://www.thehindu.com/2005/09/05/stories/2005090501131001.htm

Opinion - Letters to the Editor

Needed, restraint

Arundhati Roy's call for withdrawal of the Army from Kashmir, saying it brutalises and torments people of the State, is irresponsible. An internationally acclaimed writer should not indulge in such rhetoric. Her statement paints an ugly picture of India and its Army abroad particularly in the West, which has been keen on faulting our human rights record in Kashmir. Insurgency affects national security.

John Simon,
Thiruvananthapuram

Ms. Roy's remarks were uncalled for. The Government and other agencies have time and again confirmed the presence of foreign mercenaries in Kashmir. Withdrawing the Army at this juncture will not help. Just and humane treatment of civilians and steps for economic growth are the need of the hour. Criticising the media, instead of lauding them for their broad and balanced coverage of the events in the Valley, will serve no purpose.

Kameshwar Puri,
Jammu

Ms. Roy has stated Indians have no right to talk about Iraq and Palestine unless they highlight the atrocities in the Valley. It is amusing to hear intellectuals telling us what are the conditions under which we should talk, what we should criticise, and what should be the order of our criticism.

A.M. Narayanan,
New York

One can appreciate Ms. Roy's stand if she is even-handed in her condemnation of atrocities. Why hasn't the recruitment of young Pakistanis, denied a right to a decent living, in militant outfits active in Kashmir and their indoctrination in the ideology of violence caught her attention? Nonetheless, her views are significant in the context of democracy, which ideally should not be averse to accommodating divergent opinions.

Aravind Sridhar,
New Delhi

Kashmir is not just about Srinagar and the Valley. Jammu, Ladakh, and other areas also constitute Kashmir. Ms. Roy does not seem to realise why the Army is present in the State in the first place. Kashmir belongs to Sikhs, Gujjars, and Pandits too. The Pandits have been driven out of the State and are refugees in their own country. If the Army is withdrawn now, Pakistan-backed terror outfits will destroy whatever peace the people enjoy.

Satish Saxena,
Visakhapatnam, A.P.