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'The army is the most precious gem India has'
E-mail from readers the world over
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Mon, 21 Jun 1999 17:26:05 -0400 I thought that was a singularly well written piece about the visit to Batalik and the conditions that our soldiers put up with. I was glad to know that some journalists like A K Diwanji do have the courage to go right uptil the LoC and find out what is happening. It would be great if such articles could be published in each and every newspaper in the country so that each one of us can realise how much our soldiers are putting in for the nation and us.
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Mon, 21 Jun 1999 20:21:09 EDT This is one of the most wonderful pieces I have read about the war in Kargil recently. Excellent work, thanks for a great report.
Naresh Mansharamani
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Fri, 18 Jun 1999 09:10:33 -0700 Kudos to you for bringing out such a great article. Soldiers like Major Wangchuk are national heroes and our full support is with him. Words cannot express my feelings for patriots such as him. I am currently in the USA having left India just about a month ago. I have been starving for news from India especially with the ongoing Kargil crisis. More articles such as this should be made available. Not only is this a morale booster but also serves to motivate our youngsters to join the Indian armed forces. I salute each and every soldier of our nation who is out there fighting for our motherland. Not for any politician, not for any personal interest, but only for the sake of their love for their mother -- for India. Deepu Bhatia
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Thu, 17 Jun 1999 18:22:59 EDT Excellent article by Pritish Nandy. He is right about our diplomats not presenting our case in the international fora. Actually they were instructed all through the Congress rule not to even mention Pakistan by name while condemning its terrorism. And I K Gujral took it further and made it into a doctrine. That is why the world is ignorant of the dastardly deeds of Kashmir. I have no doubt that if there wasn't a BJP led government and a Congress or its supported government was in power, instead of facing bullets from Indian soldiers, the Islamic Mujahideen would be eating pulav along with Kashmiri halal mutton in Kargil. Remember how they were fed during Hazaratbal and then were transported all the way to Pakistan when Rajesh Pilot was in charge of Kashmir? Also Pritish Nandy is right. Let us swat Pakistan hard and fast so it will never rise again. Jai Somanath
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Thu, 17 Jun 1999 21:35:12 EDT Air Commodore Jasjit Singh's suggestion of reclaiming PoK back from Pakistan is so important, I wonder what the earlier governments were doing all these years (most of which were of the totally corrupt and selfish Congress)? What happened to the BJP's slogan which had said that "Hum to kehte hai, Kashmir kya Pakistan bhi hamara hai"? Why didn't our politicians shout from the rooftops loud at the world about Pakistan's occupation of a part of Kashmir against the UN resolution all these years? Every Indian must ask this question to our present and past rulers, ain't it? Vikas Mehrunkar
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Thu, 17 Jun 1999 09:22:26 +0500 Margaret Thatcher in an address to captains of industry in Bombay said that the business of the government essentially relates to defence, education etc. She stressed it takes time to build up defence preparedness and there should therefore be no let-up. Yes, the Indian military and air force do need current weaponry. But I am afraid the Kargil conflict may tempt all those who have been pushing for a particular programme to get them ordered irrespective of their relevance to the present conflict. It is in this regard that the powers-that-be need to exercise caution.
V Narayanan
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Fri, 18 Jun 1999 08:28:20 GMT Many Indians would like the Indian army to do something drastic and evict the intruders immediately. I think they have been watching too many Hindi action movies. The life of each soldier is precious and the Indian army is doing a great job by progressing carefully and keeping its casualties to the minimum. It is a rat versus lion episode. The rat may give the lion some trouble because it is small and agile, but once the lion has decided to go for the kill nothing can stop it. It is time for India to rethink its security plans with the fundamental assumption that both China and Pakistan are hostile nations. Pakistan's new nuclear status has given it the courage to trouble India even more and it won't stop with Kargil. In cricket, the Pakistani team is considered by many to have a self-destructive tendency on field. This holds good for that nation too. There is nothing which a nation on a self-destructive course will stop at. Technology is the only solution for poorer countries like India and we should launch some spy satellites dedicated to monitoring the border areas. It is said the spy satellites deployed by CIA can take a snap of the time shown by a wristwatch on the ground. This is just a one-time spending and will be a good return on investment as compared to spending many crores a day if the army deploys forces full-time on the inhospitable terrain. It has also been suggested by many that we recapture PoK. However alluring this may seem, India's troubles will multiply if it captures PoK now. Most of that area is said to be inhospitable and barren, unlike the fertile and beautiful valleys of Kashmir on the Indian side. With a longer border with Pakistan, Afghanistan and China, we will be spending even more on our defences. Instead, India should start demanding the return of PoK in the international fora. This fear of internationalising the Kashmir issue has been our big handicap for the past 50 years. The West has been hearing only Pakistan's version of the story all these years and has become biased against India. It's our own doing. Srinivasa Raghavan
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Fri, 18 Jun 1999 10:16:52 -0500 I want to comment on a very disturbing trend noticed in your magazine, both in articles and in letters from readers which you choose to publish. I find that quite often brahmin/non-brahmin, South or North Indian, Islamic/non Islamic 'tendencies' are highlighted and often denigrated. In some reader responses to Rediff articles, the so-called 'minority/majority' status of the author are pointed out as if this were a salient argument against the contents of the article. The sentiments expressed in the spirit of denigration are more emotional than objective and do not lead to better understanding of the issues being discussed. I am sure most readers trust rediff.com not to encourage expressions of hate or parochialism on its site. As a responsible and respected media source, please take a cue from the major Indian newspapers to follow a suitable code of conduct in this matter. Exercising due discretion will only enhance rediff.com's stature and credibility. About the current conflict in Kargil, we must remember this is not a Hindu-Muslim religious war, this is a conflict in Kashmir between the Pakistani-army-backed mercenaries and India. Please don't belittle 15 per cent (or any percentage) of our own country's population. By doing so, we only denigrate ourselves as a united country and put ourselves in a lose-lose situation.
Sadhana Gupta
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Wed, 16 Jun 1999 01:49:45 -0400 Given his previous passivity and apologies over the nation's defence and nuclear prerogatives, Mr Sivaswamy's hawkish u-turn and lamentation over Kargil is laughable. His condescending patronising of the Indian military is pathetic. Sure there were intelligence blunders and an unnecessary appeasement (by 'nice guy' Vajpayee, not Sangh Parivar) over Kargil, but, didn't everyone in his/her right mind rejoice over the possibility for peace following Lahore? Where was Sivaswamy then? Should the Pakistanis surrender and reverse their misadventure in the coming weeks, we all shall rejoice for victory, both of the Indian armed forces and the BJP led election alliance. Let Sivaswamy eat his words and his mentors among the Communists and Sonia's Congress lick their wounds. I can't think of a better uplift to India's international stature, business environment and economic situation.
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Sat, 19 Jun 99 20:32:21 Eastern Daylight Time The point is well taken? However there are certain things like honour, principles, and last but not the least survival which cannot be measured with money. Reading the article I got the impression that the reporter was gloating that the country's money is being wasted. Let me tell you something, it is better to die then live a second rate life, where you are always being pushed around, kicked around, and looked down. No cost is too high for the defence of a country. Vinod T Kumar
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Sat, 19 Jun 1999 23:04:59 -0400 Parasnis says we should cross the LoC now and I agree with that. Let me ask him another question? Why did he not give the same advice during the Congress or Gujral rule and do the same thing (killings were going on for more than thirty years). Why, they did not have the guts to do that. You know what? If we cross now Gujral, Kuldip Nayar may be the first ones to object to this action. S Sundaram
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Mon, 21 Jun 1999 15:06:45 GMT Firstly, I take this opportunity to thank you for your commitments and loyalty towards India and I am certain that every Indian should possess that. After going through your interview with Shobha Warrier, I think your thoughts have came out more because of frustration and nothing else. As far as dividing Kashmir, this option MUST be ruled out. In fact we should be intact on our stand that Kashmir is ours and it will be. I am aware that it is easy to make such statements than to keep them. But there are some things that you have to do no matter what it takes. The psychology of the Pakistani people (or Pakistani politicians) is mainly based on Indian hatred. So do you think if we give them the half, they will be happy? I am certain they will not and this will be one of the blunders in history that we will leave for our next generations to solve. There will be intrusion on that border also. So unless you change the attitude of the Pakistani people about Kashmir, nothing is going to work out. It is going to take some generations for them to understand. They should try to think positively. That's what our diplomacy has been trying for several years. I don’t know whether you are aware of these things or not but your statements like 'divide Kashmir’ gets main coverage in the US and is published everywhere and quoted as the thinking of every Indian, which is not true. It makes our stand in the US more difficult. It is agreed that the economy is an important thing. It is also sad that we have to depend on outsiders to keep our economy good. But we are also working towards it. Ours is a developing nation. You cannot compare it with any developed nations. When it comes to the prime matters like national security we don’t even listen to our so-called master. And this master is also aware that only Indians have the capability to do anything they want, whenever they want to. We have proved to them in the past and we have a capability to prove this anytime. What we lack is the driving force. I am also against the statements that you made against our leadership. It just makes the public panic (I am sure you will say they have every right to know about their leaders, and if some senior officers are making any complaints they should be taken seriously but this is not the time.) It is incorrect to say that the present situation is the same as it was before. This time they have tried hard. It is their frustration that has made them take such a disastrous step. I won't be surprised if Pakistan takes another step towards war. Which is unlikely to happen after our response in Kargil. This country has always respected soldiers. So your such statements will not create problems amongst Indian people. Ashish A Belambe
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Wed, 23 Jun 1999 09:17:06 -0700 That the government took a diplomatic initiative in explaining to the US and other developed countries why the action against intruders was essential and the similarities when they decided to invade Iraq. To stop a crime done on a regular basis these steps are essential. I am sure the world leaders will acknowledge but it all depends how stressful we are. Second and even more important is that I have a feeling that if this is all China's game plan to support Pak backed intrusion into Kashmir knowing very well that Indians will move their troops from NE to Kashmir, then does the government know this and is the army keeping vigil and prepared to defend Arunachal or Sikkim areas. Please raise these concerns in your columns. I wish great success to Indian armed forces in every sphere. Hemant Bhatia
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Wed, 23 Jun 1999 15:37:23 -1000 Why isn't the Vajpayee government allowing the army to cross the LoC to cut off supplies to the intruders? Is it scared that the US will intervene? Why doesn't it explain its position? Show them the ID cards that came from the pockets of the dead intruders which clearly indicate they are Pakistani army regulars. Are the lives of our soldiers more important or what? The BJP has done a good job and I have to say that if I were in India, I would vote for them but the death of over 150 jawans in the last few weeks is something that will haunt the government for a long time. Now the army has put forward a solution that can prevent the death or more soldiers. Go forward and grant permission to the army to cross the LoC and save any further army casualties. The army is the most precious gem India has. Without them there would be no kisan, no Indian, no India. Protect our soldiers.
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Thu, 24 Jun 1999 14:11:58 +0900 We positively believe that this time around India must cross the LoC and get back POK. It is ours. While this might be our view, the primary motivation is to give our brethren in PoK some sense of freedom. They seem to be captives of the current "Prime Minister" of "Azad Kashmir". The name itself sounds a joke. Indians in Japan
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Thu, 24 Jun 1999 01:01:49 -0400 I find the idea of a full scale war in India disturbing, but, if it comes, then Canada should support India, without reservation. India is a Commonwealth country. There is no friend, like a friend in need!
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