The elimination of Osama bin Laden by the U.S. Special Forces has brought relief to people all over the world. The U.S. should at least now understand Pakistan's dual game — of helping terrorists and fighting the global war on terror — and stop extending financial support to it. It should instead concentrate on eliminating the support system that sustained bin Laden all these years.
Bindiya Agnihotri,
Arakkonam
The brain behind the 9/11 attack has finally been eliminated. The U.S. successfully hunted down the man who took shelter in a well-fortified mansion close to the Pakistan Military Academy. Pakistan was, is and will remain the epicentre of terrorism because the government there is dependent on terror for survival. India should remain vigilant.
L.R. Moorthy,
Badlapur
Pakistan's role in harbouring bin Laden has become public. It is time the world woke up to its treacherous, stealthy and cunning acts. As for Osama's successor in the al-Qaeda, Ayman al-Zawahiri — deadlier than Osama and the real brain behind the September 11 attacks — the U.S. should act fast.
M.C. Vijai Shanker,
Chennai
It is difficult to believe that Pakistan's intelligence services were unaware of Osama's whereabouts. What is more interesting is the U.S. did not take Pakistan into confidence over the operation on Sunday. Nevertheless, Osama's death is a significant event in the war against terrorism, which is far from over.
Ruchi Dhanda,
Haryana
Pakistan has proved once again that it is the epicentre of terrorism. The credit for eliminating Osama should go to the untiring, risky and clever tactics of the U.S. Special Forces.
B. Madhava Murthy,
Hyderabad
Many questions remain unanswered. How long was bin Laden living openly in Pakistan? How come the top notch American intelligence failed to detect his presence in Abbottabad earlier? Why such secrecy surrounding his death with no evidence shown to the public? As the cartoon (May 3) suggests, the operation appears to have some connection with the U.S. presidential election.
Sheela Toshili Nath,
Thiruvananthapuram
The fact that bin Laden “enjoyed” a high level of protection in Pakistan shows that many of the behind-the-scenes operations are yet to be unearthed. The acknowledgement that U.S. troops can act with impunity on sovereign soil will certainly send out a wrong message.
K.M. Seethi,
Kottayam
The al-Qaeda leader's killing in Abbottabad by the U.S. forces, it seems, came as a bolt from the blue for Pakistan. Islamabad maintained all along that the world's most wanted fugitive did not live on its soil. It maintains the same with regard to India's most wanted fugitive, Dawood Ibrahim. It is well known that he lives in Karachi as a respectable and honourable state guest with all facilities. It is indeed unfortunate that he is not among the most wanted fugitives of either the FBI or the CIA. As long as he doesn't directly harm American interests, he may not be of any interest to them. India should persuade the western world, particularly the U.S., to help nab and eliminate terrorists like Dawood and Zakiur Rehman Lakhvi, the 26/11 mastermind.
Sajit Nambudiripad,
Wayanad
Kudos to President Barack Obama for taking the decision to eliminate bin Laden. But one wonders whether there will be any impact on the America-Pakistan relationship, following the killing of the fugitive in Abbottabad.
Anindya Bhattacharya,
Kolkata
