Tags:
Journalism of Courage
Help Musharraf out
8226; Pakistan, an Islamic Republic, has been a riddle for India. And the Indian media8217;s coverage of that country has not helped. I fail to understand what newspapers like yours want to project. Is it the idea that the Islamic Republic of has become a failed nation state? True, it is not functioning the way democratic India is. But it is not right to draw these bland parallels. In fact, General Musharraf is facing the very challenging task of keeping the Republic of Pakistan together and it is unfortunate that even the US is trying to use the situation to further its geopolitical ends. India too appears to be in the race. I think the time to isolate Pakistan and its president is over. India should stop being negative about Pakistan. Now is the time for all SAARC nations to see jihadi fundamentalism as a threat only in Pakistan. All the countries in the region should come together and support General Musharraf in his fight against jihadi fundamentalism.
8212; Manoj Joshi
Navi Mumbai
Chinese chukker
8226; This refers to Shishir Gupta8217;s article, 8216;Truth of 8216;62 is locked away8217;. Having gained independence by non-violent means, our political leaders thought that they could assume Asia8217;s leadership simply by powerful oratory in Parliament or before the UN General Assembly and other world forums. They did not realise that power flows from the barrel of the gun and allowed it to get corroded. After the first ceasefire in J038;K in 1949, our representatives in Parliament started demanding that the army should be deployed in some 8216;constructive8217; work, like building roads and dams. And, in fact, soldiers did work on housing projects instead of training for war. Then in 1962, our unprepared soldiers were asked to throw the Chinese out of our area that they had occupied. We should be grateful to China for giving our rulers the wake-up call, although at a very high cost to India8217;s prestige. Since 1962 was the biggest blunder of those who ruled India then, they ensured that the Brookes-Bhagat was buried for all time.
8212; Dalip Singh Ghuman
8226; Shishir Gupta ought to be commended for his professional commitment to highlighting the truth of the 1962 fiasco and national humiliation 8216;Truth of 8216;62 is locked away8217;. It is a matter of deep shame that a state proclaiming 8216;Satyamev Jayate8217; and having the Right to Information Act, has done its best to hide the facts of the 1962 Chinese invasion, as revealed in the officially sponsored Brookes-Bhagat Report, for over 44 years! It is incredible that leaders known for their moral integrity like Jawaharlal Nehru, Morarji Desai, I.K.
Gujral, Atal Bihari Vajpayee and Manmohan Singh, occupying the prime minister8217;s office, never thought it fit to release this report. Gupta8217;s article refreshes our memory of the dramatis personae of the 8216;62 debacle. He has rightly urged the political class to learn suitable lessons from this border conflict. As for the Brookes-Bhagat Report, we may have to wait for it until eternity!
8212; M.Ratan
New Delhi
Distinct face?
8226; Your Nandigram report, saying that its victims wear mainly a Muslim face, gives the impression that Muslims in India are not Indians, but a privileged class. Only the Gujarat CM talks of the entire population in his state as one without any distinction, however much this may upset the hypocritical appeasers. Is there anything like a Muslim face in secular or independent India? Not even the gullible Muslim community would desire that.
8212; Kedarnath R. Aiyar
Mumbai
