Opinion - Letters to the Editor   

Dealing with Pakistan

Thanks to mounting international pressure and U.S. intervention, Pakistan President Asif Ali Zardari has promised “strong action” against any Pakistani element found involved in the Mumbai attacks. Although he has convinced Washington of his focussed and committed support to rooting out terrorism, his flip-flops in the last few days point to the extent of political instability in Pakistan. It is clear that the elected government in Islamabad has little power vis-À-vis the military generals and the ISI.

Tarun Girdhar,

Chandigarh

The role of the U.S., which has become some sort of a mediator between India and Pakistan, is certainly not the need of the hour. Terrorism and the Mumbai attacks are our problem and we should be able to handle them. It should be entirely India’s decision to hold talks with Pakistan or wage a war against it. There is enough evidence to prove that Pakistan for sure has a link to the Mumbai attacks. But the U.S. will never ruffle Pakistan’s feathers. It will continue to remain a cat on the wall.

Manoj N. Iyer,

Chennai

With some deft diplomacy, we can turn the crisis to our advantage. We should mobilise world opinion against Pakistan and highlight the danger of its nuclear weapons falling into wrong hands. We should work towards getting the U.N. to impose economic and military sanctions if Pakistan does not cooperate in eliminating terror.

Shiva Subramanya,

Bangalore

The Mumbai terror attack was not an attack on India alone. Many foreign nationals were killed in the strike. India should share the proof it has of Pakistan’s involvement with all the countries whose citizens died or were injured. It is the moral duty of the affected countries to evolve a joint strategy to make Pakistan act.

K.K. Cherian,

Bangalore

The countries that have lost their citizens in the Mumbai massacre are certainly not going to take kindly to the gruesome killing of their people. Though it is unlikely that the Pakistan government is directly involved in 26/11, what is worrisome is that it does not seem to have the will or the wherewithal to apprehend those who masterminded the attacks.

Nalini Vijayaraghavan,

Thiruvananthapuram

What would be India’s response if the 26/11-type attacks were to take place elsewhere or in Mumbai itself again? Finding the answer to this should be India’s foremost concern because terrorists will surely strike again. India should be realistic about its ability to protect itself. Let us not indulge in rhetoric. Let us understand that the response of the U.S. and Pakistan will be the same whenever terror strikes India. It is our problem and we should solve it.

Kodali V. Rao,

Reston, Virginia

Pakistan has warned that it will move its forces from the Afghan border to its eastern borders and seems fully prepared to take on India. The casualty will be heavy on the Indian side if New Delhi launches any offensive. International opinion, too, will go against India and it will be accused of not seeking a diplomatic solution to the impasse. As things stand, Pakistan will continue to wage its proxy war against India with adequate local support. But India cannot retaliate because of lack of local support in Pakistan. So even without a formal war, the Indian security forces will have to remain alert. They have no choice.

N.K. Das Gupta,

Kolkata

Poverty, victimisation, inequality, and illiteracy are some factors that contribute to the making of a terrorist. Why, otherwise, would a 21-year-old agree to become a fidayeen for Rs.1.5 lakh? What is the guarantee that after declaring a war on Pakistan and eliminating all terrorist hideouts, terrorism will come to an end?

Neha Dubey,

Visakhapatnam

Ashok Lal,

New Delhi

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