Afghan developments
With the Taliban clear that their so-called governance will be according to sharia law, India is in a tough predicament as religious dogmas can never contribute to the peace of any region (Page 1, August 19). The void the United States has created is being hurriedly filled by vested interests such as China and Pakistan. And Russia and Iran will in all likelihood follow suit. India needs to do a lot of tight-rope walking on the issue of Afghanistan so as not to be caught in the crossfire between the West and the new players warming up in Afghanistan for a new game.
S. Sanjeevi Rao,
Puducherry
In A People’s History of the United States , Howard Zinn says: “On the supposition that the Islamic militant Osama Bin Laden was responsible for the September 11 attacks, and he was somewhere in Afghanistan, Bush ordered the bombing of Afghanistan... the full extent of the human catastrophe caused by the bombing of Afghanistan was not being conveyed to the Americans by the mainstream press....” The stated objective of the U.S. occupation of Afghanistan was the destruction of Islamic terrorism. But after 20 years, America has made a deal with the same terrorists and left stealthily. The statements of the Taliban, that there will be only Sharia law, make it clear that the fate of Afghanistan is bleak.
Sukumaran C.V.,
Palakkad, Kerala
There is every possibility that the return of the Taliban will be the rallying point for radicals to recall their so-called glorious past and embolden them to radicalise the youth, intensifying the already volatile socio-political milieu of South Asia. Afghanistan has fallen apart because of the U.S. And to add insult to injury, U.S. President Joe Biden has said “Afghanistan was never about nation-building”. He is right in his own way! America has allowed a nation to become a fertile ground for outmoded and medieval ideals to flourish.
Satyanaran Padhee,
Bargarh, Odisha
The precipitate ascension of the Taliban to the Kabul throne should take us back to Iraq engulfed by the geopolitics of the times. Iraq had long been a far more stable political entity with an envious history of culture and heritage. The Afghan tale is the opposite: every player was counting on a perennial U.S. presence. Unlike Iraq, with an evolved polity, the myriad tribes of Afghanistan have never found a common and enduring command for centuries. Overnight, they have to find a unifying theme and a cause and the vitally needed sagacious leadership to organise effective domestic governance. It is a tall order for the Taliban that is steeped in radicalism and has counted on disruption for survival.
R. Narayanan,
Navi Mumbai
Western nations claim to be the torchbearers of democracy and human rights, but their interventions only leave behind a huge mess. It is high time that the affected countries drop this “white man’s burden” and fix their own internal problems first.
Ishita Phuloria,
New Delhi
The forces and equity
Gender discrimination against women joining our armed forces is irrational and against the spirit of egalitarianism defined in the Constitution. While womenfolk can work efficiently alongside men in massive governmental institutions, obstacles before women when it comes to the Indian armed forces are questionable. Similarly, the current monopolistic system of admitting only women in the corps of Military Nursing Service is brazenly biased against men applicants.
Cicily Thomas,
Muvattupuzha, Kerala
The interim measure, on women and the NDA exam (Page 1, August 19), is welcome but in a patriarchal and misogynist society it will hardly be an emollient. Why is the women’s reservation Bill hanging fire? The defence forces are no big draw or the holy grail of the employment ecosystem unlike yesteryears. After globalisation, MNCs are attracting top talent, providing remunerative and gainful employment. The hierarchical working of the forces may not gel with the aspirations of millennials.
Deepak Singhal,
Noida, Uttar Pradesh
Entrance exam dates
Two national level entrance examinations to be written by Class 12 students — the JEE Main for admission to NIT/IITs and CLAT for admission to 22 law universities — will fall on the same date in respect to certain candidates. CLAT is on July 23 and one session of the JEE is from July 20-25. The National Testing Agency has to take note of this.
B.S. Warrier,
Kochi
