Opinion - Letters to the Editor   

India and SAARC

This refers to the editorial, `Expanding and consolidating SAARC' (Nov. 15). It is certain that SAARC will get increased importance under India's leadership. However, India should try to dispel the misconception that it wants to establish a hegemonic role in South Asian affairs.

C. Ramesh,
Keeramangalam, T.N.

* * *

Apart from their joining in the fight against poverty and terrorism, there should be a forthright commitment on the part of the member-states in the battle against corruption. Described as a cancer in the international body politic, corruption weakens the moral fibre of the people, lowers ethical standards in governance, and increases social instability and insecurity due to the widening rift between the "haves" and the "have-nots."

T. Marx,
Karaikal, Pondicherry

* * *

Prime Minister Manmohan Singh's proposal at the inaugural session of the Dhaka summit on reconnecting the subcontinent exemplifies the statesman in him. Technological advances have brought the countries closer but human minds have to come closer. This will be possible only through people-to-people contact, which in turn can become a reality after road/rail communication connecting the subcontinent is established.

K.P. Karunakaran Nair,
Thiruvananthapuram

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