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Barkha Dutt in Railway crossing (March 3) is right in saying that the frequency of Samjhauta Express should be increased, but at what cost? Aren’t these buses and trains also official carriers of terrorists, being soft targets as their security is well-known both in India and Pakistan? Are we not equally responsible for killing innocent people in the name of Samjhauta Express and Sadbhavana buses? Why not stop them till things are streamlined with strong political will?

GK Arora, Delhi

II

Barkha Dutt’s write-up is a cruel warning of just how tough it is for any joint anti-terror mechanism to get off the ground. The stance of those who criticise the joint mechanism was reaffirmed when Pakistan reiterated its reply over the list of wanted persons sent by India. Some of them, the Pakistani spokesperson asserted, have a different status as they are associated with ‘freedom struggle’, and the joint mechanism is not a plan to hand over wanted people. Before signing the joint mechanism, didn’t India and Pakistan agree on the definition of terror? One signatory’s terrorist is another’s freedom fighter. Unless the definition of terrorism becomes clear, attempts to counter it will be like putting the cart before the horse.

PL Bakhshi, Delhi

III

Barkha Dutt is right in her assertion that the time has come when India and Pakistan evolved a joint anti-terror mechanism. While Indian agencies should be transparent in their investigation of terrorism-related incidents, Pakistan needs to realise that fundamentalism is a dangerous and self-destructive policy whose targets are never limited to a region or a group of people. Religious fanaticism of any brand will push humanity to back to the medieval days.

Ved Guliani, Hissar

IV

The way Pakistan forcibly airlifted wounded victims of the Samjhauta Express should have been indication enough of the lack of cooperation from their end in any terror probe. It would be better to suspend all train and bus services to Pakistan, call off the talks and end the joint mechanism, already coming apart at its contradictory joints. Whatever violence is taking place in Pakistan is a natural spillover of their terror outfits. Pakistan must realise it faces a bigger danger of being consumed by terror than India.

Raghubir Singh, Pune

A state-run bureau

With reference to Arun Jaitley’s article Weapons of mass distraction (March 8), it is true that the public confidence in the CBI has been eroded by the ruling party’s attitude of putting pressure on it for political gains. There should be some provision for making the CBI independent of government interventions.

Kumar Rahul, Mumbai

II

Arun Jaitley’s observations on the role of CBI are not unfounded. Jaitley rightly feels that the CBI remains loyal to the party in power. It has time and again played into the hands of the powers that be, handling cases backed by political motivations.

Rajen Kumar, Delhi

The answer is: development

The assassination of JMM MP Sunil Mahato by Naxalites is related to the problem of unemployment that plagues our nation. Much of eastern India remains underdeveloped and the youth, faced with the prospect of unemployment, succumb to militant ideologies. The only way to get rid of this social evil is to ensure development of these areas by providing job opportunities.

Anup Sahu, via e-mail

II

The killing of Sunil Mahato is an alarm to others for the cause of their security. But as he failed to be cautious to remain safe, the Maoists got the opportunity to accomplish their target. The mishap clarified that our security system is yet to be strengthened to combat this type of attacks.

Jayanta Mukherjee, Kolkata

Gender discrimination

The gender imbalance in the society will lead to a great disaster. This is an era where women are facing many problems despite making progress in all fields. They are exploited because of illiteracy and have no hope unless they achieve economic independence. They should be given the opportunity to prove their potential if we are to find a solution for the problems they face.

Narasimha Raju, Vijayawada

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