Many to blame

The views expressed in the editorial 8216;Time to question8217; appear to be somewhat emotionally charged.

8226; The views expressed in the editorial 8216;Time to question8217; appear to be somewhat emotionally charged. Granted, Shivraj Patil has proved to be the most ineffectual minister in recent public memory. However, the bomb blasts were not a direct result of Patil8217;s or his ministry8217;s inexcusable failings. The tragedies we witness far too often are exacerbated by man8217;s ignorance of and hatred for his fellow men. It is very important to ascertain security, intelligence and judiciary lapses which contribute to a situation in which criminals feel they shall get away unpunished. However, it is equally important to reflect on why we have become a society where fear determines the way we think and act.

8212; Anjali Das

Burdwan, W.B.

Global response

8226; This refers to your thought-provoking editorial 8216;Reign of terror8217;. For some time now, the world has increasingly isolated the ideology of terror. Cross-border terrorism today occupies the centrestage in the global agenda. But what the world needs is multilateralism. It needs the United Nations 8212; all nations working together to build a consensus on the politics of terror. Most of us agree that a stable global order has to rest on the four pillars of peace, security, sustainable development and democracy. International cooperation, information exchange and a strong global intelligence network are necessary to fight the menace of terrorism.

8212; Vinod C. Dixit

Ahmedabad

Uses of sympathy

8226; Barack Obama has accused Pakistan of supporting the mujahideen in Kashmir. Not long ago, US Assistant Secretary of State Richard Boucher had asked Pakistan to come down harder on terrorists operating from its soil. Such criticism has come at a favourable time for India.

India has always sought to expose terrorist activities in its neighbourhood. As the world8217;s largest democracy India deserves such concern, and it should begin to act on international sympathy to further establish itself as a major player in the global arena.

8212; Ashwani Sharma

Ghaziabad

Sound and fury

8226; Shazia Ilmi8217;s article 8216;Demagoguery apart8217; was a good exercise in the demystification and deconstruction of Omar Abdullah8217;s speech in the Lok Sabha during the trust vote session. Her analysis, prefaced by lines from W.B. Yeats, sums up how Omar Abdullah8217;s political track record contrasts with his two minutes of glory, the latter having earned him a lot of praise. Across the political spectrum politicians say one thing one day, contradicting what they had said the week before. And the gullible, undiscerning public simply laps it up. One wishes someone would do more analyses of the track records of the nation8217;s movers and shakers.

8212; John Alexander

Nagpur