Open letter to Pak PM

Dear Mr Imran Khan,

I write to you as a common citizen of India. We have admired you for your finesse in cricket, for the cancer hospital  you helped build for the people of Pakistan and for the long route in political activism that brought you to be Prime Minister. Your gesture of releasing Wing Commander Abhinandan helped de-escalate tension after the Pulwama attack. But your rhetoric on Kashmir reveals that 72 years after independence, Pakistan’s obsession with India hasn’t abated. You should put your energies and limited budget into improving health, education and civic amenities. If Kashmir is not India’s internal matter, you must raise the issue of the civic rights of people of Tibet and Hong Kong with the UNSC as well. We started together 72 years ago, but we’ve come a long way, you might as well start. You can start with ensuring rights for residents of Balochistan, religious minorities and Uygurs. Raise the level of education and empowerment for the women in Pakistan. Allow us to bring Kashmiris into mainstream India. Decades of isolation have given nothing but militancy and misery to the people. We are attempting to correct a historic wrong, allow us to do so in peace. Jai Hind.

Sarika Verma, Gurgaon

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Let Kashmir breathe 

Refer to ‘Freedom from hatred’ (Nous Indica, Aug 15); the unethical lockdown of J&K marred the festivities of Eid and Independence Day. It is sad that while people in India are celebrating freedom, the people of Kashmir are confined to their homes. Religious hatred is ruling the roost. We should not propagate the idea of hate but love. Unlock the Valley before it assumes proportions that would be hard to tackle. Our forefathers didn’t vision an imprisoned soul of Kashmir. Let it breathe. 

Jaspreet Singh, Patiala

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Peep into history 

Rajesh Ramachandran has done well to go through the pages of history (‘Freedom from hate’; Nous Indica, Aug 15). The present generation knows little about the historical facts that led to the genesis of the theocratic state of Pakistan and of the role the British played in sowing the seeds of hatred between the then two nascent states carved out of British India. The cunning British planned it such that the two neighbours may continue to fight each other and waste their scarce resources. True to their plan, it has been happening for 72 years. Our leaders, at the time of Partition, unwittingly played into the hands of the British. 

LR Sharma, Sundernagar 

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Dream has come true 

Though we had been reading and chanting that ‘Kashmir to Kanyakumari, India is one’ from our school time, we had never experienced such a feeling as after the abrogation of Article 370. Before PM Modi, we had never thought that such a dream would come true and the paradise would be regained. Now, we can speak with pride that J&K is a part of India. Stringent action should be taken against leaders who have been trying to incite people on the basis of caste or religion. They should be treated like terrorists and anti-nationals. 

Rajinder Kumar Arora, Kurukshetra

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PM on population 

PM Modi has taken a very good initiative by raising the issue of population explosion as one of the biggest problems of our country. As advised, the Centre and state governments must formulate schemes to control it, because it is the root cause of all other problems like lack of health facilities, education, poverty and unemployment. 

Kumar Gourav, by mail

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The growing numbers 

Reference to Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s speech on Independence Day, the PM has urged the nation to understand the importance of birth control and praised those families who have opted for one-child policy. Population explosion is the main cause of economic problems in India. Most of the social problems facing our country will also be solved if population is controlled.

Bhavika Malhotra, Chandigarh

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Bring in these changes 

India proudly celebrated its Independence Day with gaiety and fervour, but ‘independence’ is not the antithesis of ‘interdependence’. Synergy of the three vital pillars of our polity, namely, judiciary, executive and legislature is a sine qua non to improve the quality of democracy for the ultimate welfare of the aam aadmi. The need of the hour is: (1) an all-India judicial service under the Registrar General of SC (and not the Law Ministry); (2) constitutional status for the CBI like that for CAG, and (3) a comprehensive model code of conduct for legislators (including ministers) inside legislatures, and elsewhere. 

Lalit Bharadwaj, Panchkula

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