|
|
|
|
|
| HOME | NEWS | DEAR REDIFF | |||
|
COLUMNISTS
|
|
|
'A soldier's life is not so cheap'
E-mail from readers the world over
Date:
Mon, 31 May 1999 14:07:10 -0400 I don't want a war between India and Pakistan but I don't want 'firangs' on my land. There should be no negotiations. If it was a war between two countries then there can be negotiations. By sending their envoy Pakistan in a way has accepted that they are involved in this proxy war. After losing our brave soldiers and army men, why do you want to negotiate peace with a country which denies it has anything to do with this? The prisoners of war should be tried for killing our jawans and for disturbing peace in our country. It is the time to take a tough stand. To me, negotiating with them is overlooking the sacrifices made by our jawans. A life of any Indian is far more costlier than Pakistan as a whole.
Date:
Mon, 31 May 1999 14:53:18 -0400 This is one of the best articles I have read on the ongoing Kargil issue. This sort of shrewd hawkishness is what we lack. Mr Vajpayee must realise that it is not against yuddhadharma to be shrewd. Lord Krishna showed that to us long ago. We must stop trying to act like we are in the age of lord Rama (that was an age when even Ravana followed the ethics of war). A soldier's life is not so cheap that a prime minister can sacrifice it at the altar of his misguided sense of morality and 'decency'. We should've been swifter and a lot less sloppy than what we ended up being. But it's not too late to make amends. Whatever be the initial goof up, we seem to be finally going in the right direction, much like our cricket team. A combination of a strong political and military stand in conjunction with active diplomacy to keep the world on our side are the issues requiring immediate attention. I hope Wing Commander R V Parasnis's opinion and similar thinking is given the attention it warrants. Jai Hind. Arvind
Date:
Tue, 1 Jun 1999 05:54:42 +1000 Dear Gaurav, Your article suggests that you do not support India going nuclear ["Kargil process has highlighted the irrelevance of nuclear weapons"]. You are the typical armchair analyst, totally divorced from ground realities. And what Lahore peace process do you talk about? Has Pakistan ever stopped aiding [and fomenting] militants in J & K. Will it ever? And why should it? It is reaping such rewards for them. What is the solution for India? The first principle is: Do not be afraid of war! Let not the fear of war destroy us!! The advantage of having nuclear weapons: This effectively rules out intervention by any other power. Moreover, India is not an Iraq or a Yugoslavia. So India can go about their business of dealing with Pakistan without fear. So how do we deal with this rogue? Obviously we do not want war. But the fear of war should not prevent us from dealing effectively with them. Short of war there are three practical solutions: 1. Send small batches of well trained voluntary suicide guerillas drawn from the army or other groups fighting on India's side in Kashmir. These should go on foot or local transport and hit military targets in POK [previously designated by satellite imagery]. After accomplishing their mission they will be rescued by the IAF. Note that America has the capability of rescuing their pilots shot down over enemy territory and they have done it successfully many times. There is good chance that these missions may fail. But even if one in five succeeds, it will hurt them very much, with little cost to India. Sure we will lose some men. Aren't we now? And we are losing morale too. Just last night the foreign minister of Pakistan was pontificating that India may retaliate to the loss of 3 aircraft because the morale of the forces was very low. This may not stop Pakistan from fomenting trouble. But then neither has begging stopped them. Nor the sham of Lahore declaration. But it will give them something to think about. This is a better form of hot pursuit. This is "proactive". 2. Target important military installations [preferably an air base for starters], one at a time, with either a supersonic jet [Sukhoi or Jaguar] or better still the fire-and-forget Prithvi missile. Make conciliatory political noises [preferably send the foreign minister to Pakistan for peace talks!]. And, most important, deny absolutely any knowledge of the attack. But be prepared. Pakistan may choose to retaliate and escalate -- in which case they will probably show more guts and nerve than we are doing currently. 3. The third option: India vacates the peaks in winter when the terrain becomes inhospitable. Does Pakistan not do the same? Can we not send infiltrators or even regular soldiers in mufti and occupy their territory for a change. Tit for Tat. 4. The fourth impractical option is to continue to plead and beg with them to stop kicking us. These may not be the best options. Let the best brains in RAW etc come up with something like what Israel did at Entebbe. Remember everyone kicks a dog. Nobody dares to touch a roaring lion. I rest my case.
Date:
Tue, 01 Jun 1999 01:25:50 +0530 Kudos to you for putting out the correct view point. For too long we refused to call a spade even a spoon. Niceties be damned, our leaders should know what the peoples views are. Political decisions are no longer to be made by back-room cabals. The era of pussyfooting around softly is over. Our smaller neighbour has trod on our toes for too long. Now if only we could collectively -- the entire Press -- breathe down the necks of our leaders, we might be able to steer our country to a glorious future
Date:
Mon, 31 May 1999 19:05:23 EDT Fantastic reporting. Jai Hind!
Date:
Mon, 31 May 1999 21:15:04 EDT All of us in India should send a simple message to Pakistan. 1. Send Nachiketa back unharmed. 2. Stop infiltration for ever. 3. Pakistan is making life for all Muslims in both India and Pakistan very difficult. Aravinda
Date:
Mon, 31 May 1999 22:57:18 -0500 It's a shame on the part of India for the intelligence failures in Kargil and along the Line of Control. We are presumed to be so advanced in space technology. Where did it go? Are all satellites diverted for telecasting weather? Even then we are not doing well in that field (can't say when a cyclone occurs and where). What happened to our technology? I doubt whether we have at least some part of it or is it just hype. Santhosh
Date:
Mon, 31 May 1999 19:15:46 -0700 One of the most practical and crisp specials I have ever come across, I hope the common Indian public gets to know of this situation and tries to vote for a stable and good government, or alternatively, finance and defence be independent of the prevailing political situations. It is indeed pathetic that we are waging a war against Pakistan, which is in a way equivalent to our police force and no more! If we had paralleled our defence mechanics to match or supercede the Chinese armoury, I am sure not Pakistan but even the US would have a respectful approach towards India. The politicians who have swindled our money must be squeezed out of it and help the country to invest in modernising the armed and financial sectors, which in turn will give employment and help us to mobilise ourselves in the hour of need. I pray all Indians understand the virtue of being a free citizen, when the real thought of freedom comes to the Indian mind. I pray our governments will be cleansed. Let's hope for a better and more prospective future. Ravi Venugopal
Date:
Tue, 1 Jun 1999 06:06:24 EDT Why cannot the massive population of India be allowed to settle in any part of India including Kashmir? Forget the rule established in the early 1950s. If Pakistan can do anything on its side of the border, why can't India? Stupid laws should be abandoned quickly. As the Press, you must also refer to why is India weak in Kashmir. The Congress cannot say much about Pakistan since they are afraid it will hurt the feelings of their constituents who get them elected year after year. It is a real shame for India that it has people who chant slogans when Pakistan wins in the war and stay numb and quiet when Indian soldiers protect their own brothers in Kashmir. Dilip
Date:
Tue, 1 Jun 1999 03:48:37 -0700 It is a sad that the Indian Army has generals like Maj Gen VS Budhwar, GOC 3 Mountain Division, Leh, who failed in his bounden duty to check and prevent infiltration in Batalik, Drass and Mushkoh valley sectors of his command in the Kargil region. Why could he not patrol the entire area thoroughly, specially the points that were used by the mercenaries to cross over near Kargil and threaten the LoC-Srinagar-Kargil-Leh road. I have served in that area in the 1980s. I know a vigilant 121 Brigade Commander (Kargil) under an equally vigilant GOC 3 Mountain Division could just not have permitted such an intrusion, let alone at such a large scale. Anand Shyam
Date:
Tue, 1 Jun 1999 19:49:34 +0800 Your 'Specials' are some of the best on the web. Can you please ask one of your specialists to tell us why we can not internationalise the Kashmir issue rather than allowing Pakistan to do it? If the whole of Kashmir legally and morally belongs to India why cannot we prove it to the world. Currently Pakistan is better placed in the international scene by its manipulation of international politicians and media. One should only glance through major media headlines to see how India is portrayed as an aggressor even when its borders are violated. Prabhu Pandalaneni
Date:
Tue, 01 Jun 1999 11:30:35 -0400 I felt really sad after reading about the supreme sacrifice of Major Adhikari. Our hearts go out to people like him. Indeed, our country has done a lot of punya to beget sons like him. And the war should be brought to an end as soon as possible. We are losing the best, most courageous, most brave and most patriotic people of our country in the war. While the likes of our politicians go about the business of 'raping' the country. I am really proud to be a fellow Indian of people like Major Adhikari. Swami
Date:
Tue, 01 Jun 1999 11:04:33 -0500 I feel this report and some kind of feedback of what all Indians feel about this should be sent to George Fernandes to act aggressively in Kashmir! Bindesh
Date:
Tue, 01 Jun 1999 09:16:02 -0700 For once can the power hungry parties in the political arena stop squabbling on the facts and figures of casualties, and what all "might" have happened behind the scenes during the Lahore Declaration? It is true that is a difficult task for the leaders (taken the illiteracy and ignorance of the international scenario for most of them) -- they are probably unaware of what rising to the occasion at a time of crisis is. Clearly we have to step up our actions at Kargil -- it is a difficult battlefield but if that is in our land, we have to keep our hold on it. One "hungry" party is trying to get political mileage out of it by pointing out the government's flaws. Well, this is the time to work rather than be a nagging child. Finally, which party is responsible for keeping the Kashmir issue open even today?
Date:
Tue, 01 Jun 1999 12:35:23 -0400 George Iype writes: "But sources said the unofficial toll is much higher." How dare you treat the army as another political outfit or another bureaucratic office? Questioning the army's communique is not helpful. It may even be considered anti-national. Do not use Rediff to speak for Pakistan. Let Pakistan do its own speaking. AP
Date:
Tue, 01 Jun 1999 09:35:44 -0700 Just like the Congress, Vajpayee also has shown his pusillanimity. I am amazed how can any sane person really believe that Pakistan has good intentions towards India! With all the past experience, the Indian government still keeps singing ghazals, Urdu couplets, etc thinking that they are charming Pakistanis. While in the background, the Pakistanis are plotting how to harass Indians. They must be laughing their guts out at the stupidity of the Indian leaders. And now Vajpayee talks of giving a safe passage to the intruders. For what? So that they can recuperate, recover and infiltrate again? These Indian leaders are scared of Pakistanis, and so they will pussyfoot whenever possible. Even if it means harming Indian interests. And then there is this Indian media. The less said about them, the better. In any other country, the press would have constantly highlighted, in the front pages, the news of their soldiers being captured by the enemy. No wonder the Serbs returned the three captured US soldiers without much fuss. No one hears much about our captured soldier any more. In fact, it appears his birthday went by without our the Indian government and media even giving it much importance or publicity. If our own people don't give a damn about their countrymen, why should Pakistanis? Satya Podury
Date:
Tue, 01 Jun 1999 18:43:20 +0200 We should not let the Paki intruders get away. They should be captured or killed and a big media propaganda should be created by India to demonstrate Paki involvement. Let's not forget that Prithviraj Chauhan suffered by letting Mohammed of Gazni return. S Hegde
Date: Thu, 27 May 1999 18:07:47 -0400 I am anxious to know what efforts are being taken to bring back the Indian pilot from Pakistan's territory. It is too often come to my notice that nobody (I mean the journalists, of course) seems to care one bit about the men that we are losing. Can we try at least to ask the military people what plans are there to bring the people back. Just what is their status if they are captured? They are certainly not POWs. Will they be tried in Pakistan? What will the Indian government do about it?
Date:
Tue, 01 Jun 1999 20:42:13 +0530 We Indians are fools to have trusted the Pakistanis. (Didn't we trust the Chinese similarly?) Don't expect them to improve or mend their ways. It is futile. India must follow a policy where we assume that they will not change their attitude and so we must behave aggressively. Drive them away and bomb POK. After all, it is our own territory!! Let us not get scared of their atom bombs. Don't we have them in larger numbers too? I am sure they are not so foolish. Cyrus Engineer
Date:
Tue, 01 Jun 1999 11:13:36 -0700 Mr Fernandes, Please step down. We have had enough. I thought very highly of you but you are unworthy of it. You are betraying our soldiers.
Date:
Tue, 1 Jun 1999 14:20:18 -0500 (CDT) It is interesting to note that the the Indian Armed Forces did not heed the warning signs which should have given an indication of the proposed incursion. As per reports, the infiltrators are well armed, well dug in and well supported. Their strength as reported varies from 500 to 10,000. A large force as this could not have gone unnoticed in the sector where an extra helicopter landing is carefully monitored. Why then was no action taken earlier? Vijay
|
||
|
HOME |
NEWS |
BUSINESS |
SPORTS |
MOVIES |
CHAT |
INFOTECH |
TRAVEL |
SINGLES BOOK SHOP | MUSIC SHOP | GIFT SHOP | HOTEL RESERVATIONS | WORLD CUP 99 EDUCATION | PERSONAL HOMEPAGES | FREE EMAIL | FEEDBACK |
||