• The editorial Audacious,unending rightly questions the long-held belief of the Pakistan army that by playing footsie with select extremist groups,the fanaticism of jihadists can be gainfully channelled to the achievement of its strategic objective of making India bleed through a thousand cuts. Unfortunately for them,theres no good fanaticism or bad fanaticism,this merely being a state of mind. Worse,extremism keeps changing its focus and annihilates anything perceived as an obstruction to the attainment of its objective.
Although the loss of life in the last few days is considerable enough to warrant counter-measures on that ground,the real threat to Pakistan is the challenge to its political authority,indeed,to its very existence as a modern,democratic nation state. The sooner this realisation dawns upon the Pakistani establishment,the better for them and for the world. The time available to exercise the limited options it has is fast running out.
Ajay Tyagi
In clear terms
• The voters of Arunachal Pradesh came out in large numbers,about 72 per cent,to cast their votes. The chief minister of the state had unequivocally said that Arunachal Pradesh is an integral part of India. Therefore,armed with these facts,the Indian prime minister at the meeting in Thailand on October 23 should inform his Chinese counterpart in clear terms that the status of Arunachal Pradesh as a state of the Indian Union is non-negotiable,and that even a whisper to the contrary will be viewed with grave concern and dislike.
C.G. Sivakumaran
New Delhi
Work,above all
• We revel in our own mediocrity so much that the moment someone,however remotely connected with India,does something good,we start the fireworks without realising what the fuss is all about. Nobel laureate V. Ramakrishnan is right when he says that the work is more important than the personality. It is time our politicians realised this and stopped the monumental waste of money over things like the Shivaji statue in the Arabian Sea and used the money instead to educate needy children.
A. Banerjee
The young ones
• This refers to Dravid dropped as flip-flop continues . This was expected. Selectors have long wanted to sack the old horses and bring in new ones,at any cost. Its been done so and proved in Dravids case. Selectors depend on the young and not the experienced ones. Younger skills and talents are necessary for success in cricket; this is the spirit in which they have acted.
Rathin K. Chanda
Chinsurah
