After the Beslan northern Ossetia carnage that claimed the lives of 186 schoolchildren, President Putin vowed to go after Chechnyan rebels and there has not been a single attack since then. Similarly, President Bush said he would smoke the al-Qaeda out and there has been no further attack in the U.S. of the kind we saw in 2001. This is the kind of response the global community expects from Pakistan. The horrendous attack is yet another reminder that Pakistan is a hotbed of terrorists.
The Taliban has thrown an open challenge to Pakistan, which must now respond. It is now or never in Pakistan.
A.V. Narayanan,Tiruchi
It was soul-stirring to see pictures of the grieving, and the ghastly sight of blood-caked floors. The cruel act against the defenceless children should trigger contempt and hatred for extremism.
Sahana Wodeyar,Davangere
The photograph on Page 1, of a schoolchild in Chennai in tears (Dec. 18), speaks of the volume of love and affection children have for even those who are unknown to them. The girl in tears sends out a strong message to humanity that there are no boundaries for love. Let everyone take this message in its true spirit and spread love everywhere.
P. Sivakumar,Chennai
In a civilised, cosmopolitan society, there is no place for fanaticism, fundamentalism and radicalism. All religious proponents and scholars have to clearly isolate those dangerous elements who sow death and destruction. The state has to act firmly and decisively in dealing with radicals and in this there can be no complacency, compromise and incompetence.
R. Ramanathan,Coimbatore
Deep condolences to the families of the children. Pakistan has to eliminate the hydra-headed monster that is slowly consuming the country.
Naveen Kumar Vdutha,Mulugu, Telangana
In this hour of grief, it is unfortunate that there are some in Pakistan who are talking about a hidden Indian hand. Everyone knows that India is a peace-loving nation and it will do Pakistan no good to give expression to such absurd allegations. The country must use this as a golden opportunity to ask for global help in eliminating terrorism.
Vivek Sharma,New Delhi
A barbaric act is one of cowardice. What else can I say? There are no words to condemn such an inhuman act in the name of religion. It is unfortunate that despite all our efforts for a balanced relationship with Pakistan, some fringe elements are blaming India for the massacre. There must also be an end to this distinction between good and bad Taliban propaganda.
Jaydeep Senjaliya,Rajkot
IS, the Taliban, al-Qaeda, Boko Haram… this seems to be an era of chaos, lawlessness and anarchism. Why can’t the world unite to extinguish the fire of terrorism?
Shail Bhatt,Chennai
The massacre of innocent children cannot be justified. Most of the children were Muslim and were not fighting for Islam. What kind of jihad is this? This should be an eye-opener for the sympathisers of such movements. Each one of us must resolve to resist acts of terror at all levels. The least we can do is to unite, especially as we have to protect our children.
Sukum Sekhar,Thiruvananthapuram
The cold-blooded murder should prompt nations to eliminate such atrocities from the earth, whatever the religious theory they were conceived under. There is no meaning in crying out that jihadi terrorists have no religion and no respect for human rights.
If Islam feels that religion is different from politics, it would help its own believers. More important for all is the need to identify the real terrorists and eliminate them. To do so, it is essential that persons involved in every terrorist act across the globe are classified under all possible heads, primarily under religion, nationality and education. As for Pakistan, the authorities there should realise that terrorism there is of their own creation.
P.R.V. Raja,Pandalam, Kerala
Reem Wasay’s piece (Dec.18) is the kind of article that makes one sit back and ponder over the plight of the common man in Pakistan and the years of death, destruction and turmoil that the fractious country has seen. We realise that there are millions of educated, “normal” Muslims in the country; citizens who just want to get on with their lives without having to worry about being accosted by brainwashed, bearded, gun-toting zealots in cafés, shopping malls, airports, train stations and schools.
Jazna Jalil,Bengaluru
It is usual to see editorials with platitudes after gruesome incidents like the Peshawar massacre. But “Soft targets, hard questions” (Dec.18) was an in-depth analysis of the basic problem that has been haunting Pakistan for long, perhaps from the very inception of the religious ‘nation’. As long as the hatred against India — which basically helps the military establishment to control the nation and its democracy — is not removed from the collective psyche of Pakistan, the nation can’t fruitfully battle against terrorism and successfully contain it. Terrorism in Pakistan is a Frankenstein’s monster and the Frankenstein is Pakistan itself, with its mentor being the U.S.
Sukumaran C.V.,Palakkad
