Afghanistan must learn from India

Refer to ‘What Afghan women want’ (The Great Game); Indian women journalists were not allowed to attend Taliban minister Muttaqi’s press conference as they would have asked uncomfortable questions. Women in Afghanistan find it difficult to educate themselves and even if they become qualified somehow, they are forced to operate within limits and amid restrictions. They are not able to realise their potential. Afghanistan will certainly benefit from its friendship with India but its Taliban rulers should emulate India, which has empowered women by opening the doors of education, police, military and administrative services for them. Afghani women, too, should get their due.

Raj Bahadur Yadav, Fatehabad

Shun regressive mindset

Apropos of ‘What Afghan women want’; the Taliban rely on oppressive force, compelling women to submit, but women in other parts of the world continue to stand free and strong. History shows that no form of darkness lasts forever. The darkest age eventually welcomes the light of dawn and regressive societies will also eventually get transformed with time. These conservative men must be reminded that the world belongs equally to men and women, and that every human is born free. They must understand that they hold no power to grant or deprive anyone of their dignity or rights. True strength lies not in domination, but in humility and kindness — values that they must one day learn to embrace.

Pratibha, Zirakpur

Trust needed in India-UK relations

With reference to ‘UK sees India’s markets, not its workers ‘; the visit of British PM to India marks a major step forward in the deepening of relations between the two nations. The Comprehensive Economic Trade Agreement and the new defence and technology collaboration signal a major shift towards economic and strategic relations. However, UK needs to welcome Indian skilled professionals in its market. On the other hand, India needs to address its regulatory barriers that limit its market access for foreign goods such as mangoes, spices and marine products. For India-UK partnership to reach its full potential, gaps in mobility, regulation and trust must be addressed and removed.

Harbinder S Dhillon, Una

Stadiums require maintenance

Refer to ‘Punjab’s sports push’; making of 3,100 stadia across the state is not going to serve the complete purpose unless they are fully equipped with sports-related infra, professional coaches are appointed and the stadiums are maintained. Burlton Park stadium in Jalandhar hosted international cricket matches in the 1980s, but is now in a state of neglect, according to news reports. We can only hope that successive state governments will maintain the stadia and the people will make the utmost use of the facilities.

Ravinder Kumar Jain, Ludhiana

Well-deserved Nobel Peace Prize

Refer to ‘Peace Nobel for Venezuela Opposition leader Machado’; the decision to confer the Nobel Peace Prize on María Corina Machado is both a vindication and a rebuke. Forced into exile for challenging Venezuela’s authoritarian regime, she symbolises the moral courage of dissent that speaks truth to power. Her recognition underscores a global yearning for democracy in regions where elections are mere rituals of control. Donald Trump’s self-advocacy for the same honour comes as a paradox. Machado’s sacrifice and Trump’s worldview are poles apart, although she is looking forward to US help “to achieve freedom and democracy”.

SS Paul, Nadia

Modern-day madaaris

Refer to ‘When madaaris cast a spell’; madaaris quit the scene following complaints about abuse of performing animals. Magicians donning ostentatious costumes are now called ‘illusionists’ and there is a huge market for the cleverly designed apparatuses they employ in order to enthral viewers. In fact, they are invited by schools and paid to perform in front of curious students.

Mohan Singh, Amritsar