If various political players continue to politicise terrorist investigations, the investigative agencies will suffer unduly. In a letter earlier this week (‘Free the sleuths’), J.M. Manchanda from Delhi asked for autonomy for bodies like the CBI.* It is unfortunate that investigations into terrorist activities are being politicised. If this obfuscation is allowed to continue, people will lose faith in the investigating agencies, and this time not for any fault on their part. Parties like the SP and RJD make noises every time a Muslim is under the scanner. Now the BJP has taken up the cause of Sadhvi Pragya and Lt Col Purohit. It is necessary to grant autonomy to agencies like the CBI immediately and shield them from political muscle-flexing. Hopeful yet* Now that the stage is set for Barack Hussein Obama to be the first black president of the US, there is much debate about the fulfilment of promises made during the campaign. Not only America, but the world too wants this man to be an apostle of change in substance. Obama is not only the president of America; he is the president of all those oppressed for long. There is hope that Obama will end the Iraq war, shut down Guantanamo, etc. But there is also the awareness that he will not be able to do all that his supporters want. For believers and doubters alike, it is important to recognise that a lot can be reformed despite the obvious executive constraints Obama will face.—Gulam Jeelani, AligarhLet Obama be* C. Raja Mohan and Thomas L. Friedman (‘Doesn’t smell like.’, IE, November 20) fail to see the difference between Barack Obama the Senator and Barack Obama the president-elect. Obama is creating a national consensus in the US and building a working relationship with the Republicans. Similarly, he is considering the induction of senior Democrats like Hillary Clinton and others, even as he infuses change into the cabinet. Obama has reasons for proceeding the way he is, and is best left to himself to work things out. —P.Y. Mehta, MumbaiAction stations!* Somali pirates get bolder and more brazen by the day. After the INS Tabar’s success, India should step in and take the naval lead in the region. The Gulf of Aden accounts for 12 per cent of global maritime oil trade and 50 per cent of the world’s seaborne dry bulk transportation. A multilateral naval response can save ships from piracy off Somalia’s coast. US, British, French, German and Russian vessels have all been dispatched to the region. New Delhi has already decided to send more ships to the region. It should now, as your editorial points out, secure full-fledged logistical cooperation from the surrounding states. India has already entered into an agreement with Qatar on joint maritime security. Oman has helped India in this instance. Now is the time for arrangements with Saudi Arabia, Yemen and Djibouti. From a more selfish perspective, maritime crews are multi-national and include many Indians. —Agam Dhingra, New Delhi
