Business houses & jawans

THROUGH the editorial :Token of respect” (The Tribune, June 9) you have very appreciably highlighted a pertinent issue of responsibility of the nation towards the families of martyrs, as also the difficulties faced by such families in realising the governmental sanctions.

Love for one’s nation — the motherland — is usual and we could once again recognise this fact, perhaps more effectively, during the recent World Cup cricket match between India and Pakistan when the spirit was “do or die” for the dignity of one’s nation.

Cricket has become a source of national integration and pride over the years, and our cricketers are unmatched stars. Whereas the star status of our cricketers is appreciable there are still more powerful stars who die silently in the marooned border areas while fighting for maintaining the dignity of the nation as well as providing us (the citizens) enough freedom to enjoy dignified life events of which cricket is also a part.

The question arises when the nation cares for the cricket heroes so affectionately and they are rolling in crores of rupees, why are we often so indifferent towards public recognition and facilities for our jawans? Why don’t we club the important national events — conducting international-level cricket matches for the benefit of families of patriots? Our top companies sponsor many sports events. I wonder why they cannot honour the brave military heroes in right earnest. I feel a thought must be given to this important aspect to raise the morale of the daring armed forces personnel.

M.P.S. CHADHA
Chandigarh

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Horrible carnages

I read the editorial “Defeatist syndrome’s toll” (July 1). The massacre of 17 persons (all Muslims, including women and children) in Mora Bacha village in Poonch district was one of the worst incidents of killing in Jammu and Kashmir.

A faction of the Hizb-ul-Mujahideen is reportedly responsible for this bloodbath. “Mujahideen” means Muslim soldiers or warriors in defence of faith. It is not understood what danger the innocent victims posed to the Islamic faith, in defence of which the “mujahideen” butchered them.

The following night the terrorists slaughtered 12 Hindu labourers at a brick kiln near Sandu village at a short distance from Achchhabal (Anantnag). These poor people had come from Madhya Pradesh and Uttar Pradesh to earn their living as labourers.

While the alleged fault of the slain Muslim villagers was that they had stopped giving such information as could be useful to Pakistan, the massacre of 12 labourers was, apparently, aimed at scaring away the Hindus.

It is a pity that the terrorists perpetrated the massacres a couple of days after the celebration of the birthday of the Prophet, who gave the message of love, mercy and justice. In his last “khutbah” (sermon), he declared, inter alia, “Hearken, O’ mankind! Your Lord is one God... I crush under feet till doomsday any desecration of human life or his property or any false superiority.... Beware! Usurp no one’s right... I terminate blood-letting of the days of ignorance forever.

Is not the bloodshed of innocent people against the very spirit of the holy sermon? Have not the terrorists, by their barbaric acts, brought disgrace to Islam, which means peace and does not preach violence? I want to remind them of an Urdu verse:

Qareeb hai yaaro roz-e-mahshar chhupey ga kushton ka khoon kyoon-kar/Jo chup rahey gi zubaan-e-khanjar lahoo pukaarey ga aasteen ka (O’ friends! The Day of Judgment is near. The blood of the slain people could not be hidden. If the tongue of the sword remains silent, victims’ blood on the slayers’ sleeves will cry for justice).

BHAGWAN SINGH
Qadian

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MTNL Phone Book

Better late than never. At long last, after five long years to be exact, Mahanagar Telephone Nigam Limited (MTNL) has brought out Delhi Telephone Directory-1999, rechristened as Phone Book. Even while ignoring minor mistakes here and there it was surprising to see the list of members of the Municipal Corporation of Delhi in blue pages of Volume III with a bold headline, “Counsellor of Municipal Corporation”. In the index it has been misspelt as “councellors.”

Members of a Municipal Corporation are called Corporators or simply they can by called members of the MCD. Councillors (not counsellors) used to be there when Delhi was having a Metropolitan Council which has long been replaced by a legislative assembly.

The third part of the directory entitled “Delhi Business” too seems oddly titled as the telephone numbers of the executive, legislative and judicial wings of the state and several other non-business private and public institutions can hardly be put under the heading “Business”.

The third edition could well have been entitled “Delhi Institutional”.

HASAN ZIA
New Delhi

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War widows

Mr Multan Singh Parihar’s letter entitled “Martyrs’ widows & their remarriage” (The Tribune, July 2) generates enough sympathy and support for the families of the war heroes of Operation Vijay in Kargil.

For most widows of martyrs, however, the suggestion of remarriage may seem to be lowly and undignified. The nation can do a lot for them. The nation can never afford to be ungrateful to them.

Reports of the pending cases of pension and war jagirs pertaining to previous wars create bad precedents. Such cases, if any, should be settled on a priority basis. Even a single such case puts a big-question mark on our intentions. This indicates our ungratefulness towards those who fought for the whole nation.

On the wider emotional plane, the war widows can lead a more dignified life by nursing the memories of their late brave and warrior husbands in their hearts.

IQBAL SINGH
Bijhari (Hamirpur)