The Hindu : Opinion / Letters to the Editor : Needed, political will

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Tuesday, Nov 27, 2007
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Opinion - Letters to the Editor

Needed, political will

The editorial “Political will to counter terror” (Nov. 26) rightly says many State governments are unwilling to take coercive action against religious fundamentalists because of vote-bank considerations. Politicians are not concerned about the loss of innocent lives in terrorist attacks. They, in fact, try to extract mileage by announcing lakhs of rupees in financial aid to the families of the deceased and the wounded.

It is not enough to empower the police or carry out institutional reforms to combat terrorism. What we need is a strong political will and a free hand to the police to nip in the bud all forms of terrorist activities.

S. Nallasivan,

Tirunelveli

* * *

By targeting courts in Lucknow, Faizabad and Varanasi, two of which are dealing with cases involving Islamist terrorists, the perpetrators of Friday’s bombings have sought to send out a clear message: Any attempt to punish jihadis will be resisted through further violence.

If the scrapping of POTA by the UPA government has weakened our ability to combat terrorism, Friday’s targeted attacks can only further weaken the resolve of those who are forced to deal with the menace in the absence of an appropriate legal framework.

K.S. Jayatheertha,

Bangalore

* * *

It is true that governments have demonstrated an unwillingness to confront any form of communalism. It will continue to be so as long as political parties, including those claiming to be secular, play vote-bank politics. The will for a meaningful consensus on upholding secular values is a far cry.

C.N. Parthasarathy,

Hyderabad

* * *

It is wrong to blame intelligence agencies alone for their inability to keep a tab on jihadi elements. They have to work under political bosses who can frustrate their attempts to crack down on fundamentalists. Did not Mulayam Singh defend SIMI when he was Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister? The police are restrained to act lest they should be hauled up by politicians and rights activists.

Udita Agrawal,

New Delhi

* * *

The argument that the communal pogrom against Muslims in Gujarat led to the growing recruitment by terrorist organisations is unacceptable. Why has there been so much of violence in Pakistan, an Islamic state?

It is vote-bank politics that fuels terrorism. As long as terrorists have the money and the will power to indoctrinate innocent minds, terrorist strikes will continue uninterrupted.

R. Venkita Giri,

Thiruvananthapuram

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