Torn valley

: • No one has ever supported a blockade such as the one imposed by the activists of the Shri Amarnath Yatra Sangharsh Samiti. Essential commodities have been prevented from reaching the Kashmir Valley for weeks. The decision by the people of the Valley to march to Muzaffarabad to break the economic blockade is therefore understandable. The VHP and the Shri Amarnath Yatra Sangharsh Samiti backed by the BJP and, on the other side, separatist outfits are stoking the raging fire. The death of 20 protesters, including senior Hurriyat leader Sheikh Abdul Aziz, is sure to escalate the tensions. It is time to hold a proper dialogue.

— Bidyut K. Chatterjee

Faridabad

Line of no return

• In the reports, ‘Valley on boil, 12 more killed’ and ‘In Jammu’s Kishtwar, Army called out after communal clashes, firing’, you have exposed how the communal clashes started and how the people of Jammu irrespective of religion and political affiliations used to be united as citizens of Jammu. To stop the fruit growers, the separatists and the PDP from marching to Muzaffarabad, they should have been warned instead that, should they cross the LoC, they would not be allowed to return. This way, the agitators would have either refrained from crossing or been forced to settle across the border, thus causing a lesser headache for the army and the country.

Mumbai

Handle K with care

• For the first time it seems that Kashmir is not an integral part of India. It is not as if the Amarnath Yatra has not happened before. The allocation of a patch of land meant for temporary accommodation for the yatris has snowballed into a fierce controversy that has engulfed the whole nation. This has resulted in severe social cleavage in J&K, which is being exploited by the separatists and the fundamentalists. As a Hindu am I not entitled to even a temporary stay in Kashmir? The question of Kashmir is intricately linked to the identity of India. Matters like the Shri Amarnath Shrine Board’s responsibilities and constitution must be handled with utmost care by taking everyone into confidence. A failure in these matters would mean success for the enemies of India.

— Ashwani Sharma

Ghaziabad

Sports view

• There couldn’t have been a better Independence Day gift to the nation than listening to the national anthem being played at the Olympics. The calm and composed demeanour which Abhinav Bindra exhibited during the final round and after winning is something which will be etched in India’s memory for a long time. I hope this great achievement will tell the sports administrations across the country to move away from their cricket-centric view of sports and look towards developing and investing in other sports. And if that happens, it won’t be long before we can be there right on top of the medals tally with other countries. Abhinav, thanks for breaking the barrier.

... contd.