Ban is not the answer

APROPOS of your editorial, “Ban is not the Answer” (June 10), it has forever been the wont with leadership in our country to lock the stables after the horses have bolted! It doesn’t surprise me, therefore, that the ban imposed by the government on PTV has come rather late in the day. For a substantial period now Pakistan has been waging a rabid propaganda war against India. They have succeeded in building to crescendo the anti-India beat of their war drums. A persistent and consistent provocation on their part (skirmishes on the border, insurgency and terrorism), supplemented with a ceaseless and copious dose of causic propaganda must be silently playing some havoc with the psychological aspect of the health of our forces and civilians alike. Sadly, even while Mr Vajpayee was a guest of Pakistan, there was no effort at all to restrain the state-run TV from spewing venom at India.

One can’t help but concede that the Pakistani propaganda is professionally managed, especially their television. It is not just the grossly misleading news bulletins that are mischievous, but the rather engrossing plays/skits and documentaries that they expertly televise. The fact is these programmes are so well done that even our people are not averse to watching them. As a consequence, they manage to leave some negative imprint and doubt in the subconscious of our people. Compare this with the similar effort made by our TV. Mildly put, it is so morbidly boring that I am sure, not even the makers of such programmes would be able to keep awake through them! And the neighbours win hands down in their effort to entice and enrapture audiences.

The leadership of our own country, on the other hand, unfortunately, seems too complacently oblivious of the real value of propaganda-both positive as well as negative. Silence as a response may usually be an excellent choice but, it is not always so. Precious little was being done to counter this propaganda for years, or even the damage done there from. Not to respond at all, or to do so half-heartedly, with all illproduced propaganda films and programmes is utter foolhardiness if nothing else.

If propaganda machinery isn’t operative in our country, shouldn’t one be urgently set up by the Ministry of Defence in collaboration with the Information and Broadcasting Ministry, in order to counter the damage our neighbour is trying to inflict on us? Any amount of counter insurgency/anti/anti-terrorism measures, in my opinion, would fall short of the mark, unless they are supplemented with strong and copious doses of both negative and positive propaganda.

VIVEK KHANNA
Panchkula

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Wrong tradition

According to the Indian Constitution, if the Chief Minister of a state wants to quit, he should submit his resignation to the Governor and not to his party president. But Congress people have a different tradition — of submitting their resignation letters to the party president — which is wrong.

The wrong tradition was started by a former Orissa Chief Minister, Mr J.B. Patnaik last year. This year it was demonstrated when four Chief Ministers of the Congress — Mrs Sheila Dikshit of Delhi, Mr Ashok Gehlot of Rajasthan, Mr Digvijay Singh of Madhya Pradesh and Mr Giridhar Gamang of Orissa — submitted their resignation letters to the Congress chief, Mrs Sonia Gandhi. These resignations were not given in the real sense. This was done just to persuade her as she had quit as party president.

BALRAM SAINI
Jalbara (Ambala)

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Harassed students

The fifth paper of the M.Lib Science examination conducted by Kurukshetra University on June 9 had two serious shortcomings. One, there was no English version of the paper. This put the English medium students at a great disadvantage.

Two, there were no clear instructions about how many questions were to be attempted in different sections.

One can imagine the plight of the students. The affected candidates deserve grace marks — at least 30 — to compensate them for the loss they have suffered.

KANWAL NARULA,
GURNAM KAUR
AND MANY OTHERS
Kurukshetra

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Depressing decline

Over the years Panjab University, once the pride of every Punjabi (including Haryanvis), has gone down in public estimation. Its work ethos has undergone a sea change. Impartiality, fairplay and honesty of purpose are considered obsolete virtues. There are allegations of merit lists having been manipulated before the final result is made public.

No doubt, when there is general degradation in society, one feels sad and depressed to lament “Kahan gaye woh log”. This reminds me of an incident of the pre-Partition days when Dr Khan Sahib, the legendary nationalist leader, was the Chief Minister of the North-West Frontier Province (now in Pakistan). A file for the selection of Chief Engineer was put up before him. There were two candidates qualified for the job.

The great Khan Sahib passed orders on the file with the observation that since one of the candidates was related to him, the other one should be appointed Chief Engineer. Such men are rare to find. But let us not lose heart.

S. PARKASH
Chandigarh

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Nachiketa was right

I wish to refer to the letter “Return of Nachiketa” by Brig R.S. Kang (retd), published on June 11.

It is well known that fighters flying at a speed of more than 600 kmph in a hostile and restricted area at an average height of about 16000 ft are highly vulnerable to safety whereas Pakistanis are most unethical and merciless enemy. It is quite likely that Nachi’s aircraft was hit by a Stinger missile, and he would have tried to steer the crippled aircraft to a nearby airbase. Failing in first choice, he was to control the unusual and abnormal flying behaviour, gain height with extra-speed and eject to safety. His landing in Pakistan was by compulsion of uncontrollable aircraft, otherwise who doesn’t like home-coming.

It is wrong to imagine that Japanese or German pilots go down with machines. It has been published in the media that the training of a fighter pilot costs Rs. 10 crore, and for the experience of Nachi, it would have been around Rs 40-50 crore. I don’t think, any country is so miscalculative in costs, expecting of asking the pilot to go down with the machine.

International laws have it that the basic human values have to be respected even while dealing with war captives. India showed this when it had 96,000 Pakistani PoWs in 1971, and the same was expected from Pakistan now. Making any wrong venture by Nachi would have been quite foolish. Could not the three US pilots caught in Kosovo have done better than what the letter writer believes?

Wg Cdr T.L. BHARDWAJ (retd)
Pathankot

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Sonia and Hindi

The observation (June 9) of Mr Parkash Singh Badal, Punjab Chief Minister, that Mrs Sonia Gandhi, President of the Congress, did not know any of the languages of the country, is not correct.

She recently made a speech in Delhi which was in Hindi and was heard in pindrop silence and with applause. She was in Chandigarh a few months ago and made a public speech, which was also in Hindi.

NARINDER Singh
Chandigarh