On a wave of hope

• I cried and cried while reading this news story. In fact, I had to stop reading several times to wipe the tears from my eyes.

— Narindar Chopra San Jose

• I don’t think such bus services can reduce tension between India and Pakistan. Until Pakistan stops cross-border terrorism, such peace initiatives are worthless.

— Deepak K. Vidhyarthi Muzaffarnagar

• The Two buses crossed the Kaman bridge and reached their destinations in Srinagar and Muzaffarbad without any incident. It is a defining moment for both India and Pakistan. Diplomacy has loosened the grip of fear from the hearts and minds of the Kashmiris. Tremendous joy has been experienced by relatives who haven’t seen each other for almost 60 years. This event can be compared with the fall of the Berlin wall. We should start building more bridges of peace with Pakistan.

— Arvind Amin On e-mail

Lest we forget

• Taking the heroic road of Col Rai and Major Sharma’ (IE, April 7) was an excellent recap. Long live our brave soldiers.

— O.P. Sikka Mumbai

It’s the economy

• I read the item ‘Army to scour Naxal corridor’ (IE, April 8) with great concern. Naxalism is not an undiluted law and order issue. It mainly arises out of social, economic and political imbalances. How can the army intrude in an area where the citizens of the country are carrying out a struggle for better social, economic and political rights? Have we already leased the country to the military brass, in addition to already conceding long-term lease to the paramilitary forces?
Let the army mind its own business and let the citizens of the country decide the broader civil issues through constitutional and economic remedies. Such blatant intrusion by the army into a festering civil problem should not go unopposed.

— Maloy K. Dhar Delhi

Brick by brick

• It is true that Rahul Dravid has become the mainstay of the Indian batting line-up (‘Team India’s two few good men’, IE, April 8). He has become a tremendous finisher of the game. Unlike Virender Sehwag, Dravid doesn’t offer many chances for the opponents to get his wicket. Moreover, there is no gainsaying the fact that he is one of the greatest team players India have ever seen. He always plays for the team and that’s an attribute that can inspire youngsters.

— M. Shiju Bangalore