Letters To The Editor

Antony8217;s mark8226; THE second most venerable military savant of all times, Karl von Clausewitz Sun Tzu being the first, had stated t...

Antony8217;s mark

8226; THE second most venerable military savant of all times, Karl von Clausewitz Sun Tzu being the first, had stated that in war the simplest things are the most difficult to achieve. It seems that for the Indian Armed Forces, in peace the simplest things are the most contentious. The report of the air chief activating air HQs to take advantage of the likely parochial instincts in the new defence minister to seek an aerospace command in Thiruvananthapuram perhaps signifies this truism 8216;Antony at helm8230;8217;, IE, October 26. A simpler approach would be to work towards joint and theatre commands which are borne out by experience, both at home and abroad. The Americans have established theatre commands after the 1986 Goldwater Nichols Act, while India too has a very successful model of the Andaman and Nicobar Command. A.K. Antony will leave a mark on India8217;s defence history if he is able to get the services around to establish joint and theatre commands during his stint as defence minister.

8212;Rahul K. Bhonsle, New Delhi

Creed, no bar

8226; THIS has reference to the news, 8216;When it comes to enrolment in schools, Muslims trail even SC/STs: Sachar panel8217; and the edit, 8216;Not by fatwas, real politics hears real Muslim voices8217; IE, October 23. The formation of the Sachar panel for preparing a report on the status of the Muslim community appear to aim at only strengthening the Muslim vote bank. The panel will not make Muslims more educated but will be counter-productive. It appears that rulers are more interested in politics than in the interests of Muslims. The best way to help the community and the country would be to give free and compulsory education to all children between the age six and 14, and monetary help to all the needy above the age of 14 years; and ensure that nobody is deprived of education on account of money. This must be done irrespective of a person8217;s caste or religion.

8212;K.G. Acharya, Mumbai

Minority strategy

8226; AT the outset, congratulations to The Indian Express for publishing some details from the Sachar Committee Report. In this connection Seema Chisti8217;s piece entitled, 8216;Minority report, in numbers8217; IE, October 23, deserves special mention. She is right in commenting that 8220;so far it has just been easy sloganeering from political parties8221;. In fact all political parties have encashed on the misery of Muslims and no party has ever done anything constructive for them. Although the Congress has tried to evolve some type of strategy to bring the community on a par with others 8212; its efforts have seemed half-hearted. The problem is not only that of Muslim backwardness. It is directly reated to the nation8217;s development. No nation can develop sustainably by ignoring its largest minority. It is time to consider reservations for Muslims.

8212;Jasim Mohammad, Aligarh

Trust the Prez

8226; THE pleas for clemency for Mohammed Afzal are totally misplaced. The man is guilty of the most heinous crime and its consequences would have been disastrous for India if it had been allowed to succeed. In any case, Afzal8217;s sentencing is not the act of a dictator. The case was scrutinised by the concerned courts and then the Supreme Court. The learned judges of the two superior courts went through all the related aspects and reached the present conclusion after a thorough judicial scrutiny. Now the mercy plea is before the president. Trust his judgment and let him take a decision that is in the best interests of the country.

8212;R.J. Khurana, New Delhi