The Hindu : Opinion / Letters to the Editor : Dastardly indeed

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Thursday, Jul 10, 2008
ePaper | Mobile/PDA Version

Opinion

Opinion - Letters to the Editor

Dastardly indeed

The suicide bomb strike on the Indian Embassy in Kabul was indeed a well planned dastardly attack (editorial, July 9). To avoid such tragedies in future, security at our embassies abroad should be more professional. We should emulate the U.S. in this respect.

Air Commodore V.V. Nair (retd.),

Manipal

* * *

The need of the hour is to strengthen the security cover outside sensitive missions and, at the same time, increase people-to-people contact through track-two diplomacy. The government and the people should stand behind the families of those killed in their moment of grief.

Viraj Deshpande,

New Delhi

* * *

India should rethink its role in Afghanistan in view of its relationship with Pakistan, and Pakistan’s relationship with Afghanistan. The Taliban’s resurgence in Afghanistan and its links with the al-Qaeda will also have to be kept central to the picture. Just last month, the Afghan President, Hamid Karzai, threatened to send troops across the Pakistan border, if necessary, to attack the militants there if Pakistan did not take action. It is urgent that a comprehensive, uniform approach to security at Indian installations abroad be worked out instead of the piece-meal localised measures that are now in effect.

A.Vani,

Hyderabad

The attack on the Indian Embassy in Kabul was more a question of ‘when’ than ‘why.’ The trouble on both sides of the Durand Line involves many players — the Pakistani military, the ISI, the U.S. and the Taliban — and their vested interests. India must, therefore, play its card carefully. Considering the resurgence of the Taliban in the region, India is left with an ally whose writ runs not beyond Kabul.

Yasir Malik,

New Delhi

* * *

Why should the RAW, the Intelligence Bureau and others waste their time and resources trying to figure out whether the attack was a one-off strike or part of a Pakistani strategy (“Making the water boil in Afghanistan,” July 9)? According to Descent into Chaos, the latest book by Pakistani journalist and writer, Ahmed Rashid, Pakistan channelled most of the $10 billion aid given to it since 2001 towards strengthening its military to fight India. It is common knowledge that Pakistan, on the one hand, is fighting the Taliban to satisfy its mentor and, on the other, strengthening the Taliban and aiding its covert operations against India.

M. Riaz Hasan,

Hyderabad

Printer friendly page
Send this article to Friends by E-Mail

Opinion

News Update

Stories in this Section

What’s in store now?

Tide against torture

Challenging the basis of Kyoto Protocol

Left queries on safeguards thrust spotlight on ‘corrective measures’

Let us not lose sight of good governance

Corrections and clarifications

Withdrawal of support

Last chance

Dastardly indeed