The Hindu : Opinion / Letters to the Editor : Dealing with Pakistan

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Tuesday, Dec 30, 2008
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Opinion - Letters to the Editor

Dealing with Pakistan

When it comes to dealing with Pakistan, India is caught between the devil and the deep sea. Almost everyone agrees that war is no solution. Neither is peace possible with Pakistan — we have given it a chance. It is not that Pakistan does not want peace. Its government is just not capable of finding it.

India hopes to mount international (read American) pressure on Pakistan and force it to dismantle its terrorist network. But the U.S. will not twist Pakistan’s arm just because we want it to. Pakistan is still its trusted ally in its war on terror. We have to think of our own solution that will bring lasting peace to our country. Nobody will do our work for us.

Bernard Thangasamy,

Coimbatore

India’s restraint in the wake of the Mumbai carnage is highly commendable. It has proved that it is a mature democracy. Whatever the provocation from Pakistan, India should not resort to surgical strikes unless it is left with no other choice. Pakistan has already been exposed to the world. As long as India stands united and thwarts terrorists’ designs, it has nothing to worry about.

C.K. Abdul Rasheed,

Kannur

Pakistan continues to be ruled by the army, notwithstanding its tall claims of having restored democracy. The army has suffered a series of reversals in its battle against the Taliban in the NWFP and is looking for a face-saver to exit from there. Pakistan also wants to exploit the current thinking in American policy circles that a resolution of the Kashmir issue is important to gain greater cooperation from it in Afghanistan.

Subramanyam Sridharan,

Chennai

No amount of logic will convince or move Pakistan to accept that some of its nationals were responsible for the 26/11 carnage. India should mobilise the support of global powers such as the U.S., France, the U.K. and Russia to bring pressure on Pakistan to demolish the terrorist camps operating from its soil. If it fails in its efforts, it should make clear to them that it will not hesitate to strike the terrorist camps across the border.

K.S. Krishnamurthy,

Bangalore

It is ironical to see countries that run roughshod over other countries advising us to show restraint. I wonder what more we need to spur us into retaliating against the aggressors. The foreign policy of a country should be determined by those at the helm of affairs, not by an assortment of world powers and newspapers.

M.G. Premachandran,

Tiruchi

I do not agree with the suggestion in the editorial “Keeping up the pressure” (Dec. 27) that a militaristic response is chauvinistic. Every sovereign nation reserves the right to defend itself and this does not exclude a militaristic response when the situation warrants.

India cannot and should not depend only on building international and bilateral pressure on Pakistan. As long as Pakistan continues to be perceived as a strategic partner in the global war on terror, India cannot expect much from the West and the U.S.

Roshan Singh,

Fatehpur

If we do not retaliate now, more attacks will take place on our country. Diplomacy will not work with Pakistan. Did it work in the last three decades? Did diplomacy work with Hitler? Will it work with Osama bin Laden? The same is true of our neighbour.

Srujan Vemuri,

Hyderabad

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