Evacuation plans

The evacuation of Indian nationals engaged in various development projects undertaken by the Government of India or working independently in Afghanistan is a matter of urgent concern. India has not articulated any credible plan of action for their evacuation so far. It is only sporadic statements, like External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar talking to Antony Blinken about evacuation hurdles, etc. The danger posed by the Taliban to Indian nationals is very real. The ransacking of Indian consulates at Herat and Kandahar is indicative of the fate awaiting them. No promise by the Taliban can be taken at face value. If anything can go wrong it will. We need to have a plan in place to evacuate them as early as possible.

Lt Col GS Bedi, (retd), Mohali

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Why revisit Partition?

The write-up ‘Lest we forget the horrors of Partition’ favours PM Modi’s proposal to observe August 14 every year as ‘Partition Horrors Remembrance Day’. The suggestion neither has any relevance nor rationality. Refugees who in 1947 had to leave home and hearth in Pakistan and migrate to India have forgotten the horrible past, then why scratch old wounds which have already healed? Even talking about ‘commission of inquiry’ is an absurd idea, which will pave the way for another controversy for the government and political parties. Better would have been had the writer suggested honouring the personalities/officers who did exemplary work to rehabilitate millions of uprooted refugees.

VK Anand, Chandigarh

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Lest we forget lessons

Apropos of ‘Horror of horrors’, the atrocities of Partition were faced more by people of Punjab and Bengal. An overwhelming majority of Indians were born long after India’s blood-drenched Partition tore the subcontinent. They must indeed remember this history of the agony of a million people losing their lives in Hindu-Muslim riots. But the salient question is what they should remember, and what lessons they should draw from Partition. The most tragic victims of the violence were women who were treated as property, and battlefields to defend or transgress the honour of the community. We should also remember the thousands of Hindus, Sikhs and Muslims who risked their lives to save their neighbours from their own community. Some may believe that the announcement that August 14 be observed as the Partition Horrors Remembrance Day is a political stunt. Could it be due to the fact that August 14 is celebrated by Pakistan as its independence day? Indians must never forget the torment of Partition. We must remember so that we never allow hate to partition our land, and our hearts. We must remember what hate does to a people.

SK SINGH, by mail

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Not a bad idea

Apropos of ‘Horror of horrors’, the Partition left irreparable effects upon our nation as well as our neighbour. The deepest wounds were the bloodbaths that happened due to poor planning by our top leaders. How could they mishandle the most serious task at hand? Partition, on communal lines, was not unexpected; however, our leaders failed miserably. Leaving home and moving hundreds of kilometres to settle down seems unimaginable today, but many of our own people were forced to leave and faced dire consequences as they met bitter deaths. Those who survived relived the horrors. Remembering the day will teach a lesson to the coming generations. We also teach our children about the World Wars.

Vishal Sapehia, Kangra

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Need multilateralism

One year of big-bang reforms under Atmanirbhar Bharat Abhiyan has proved rather enfeebled, as the government’s actual expenditure is 1% of Rs 20 lakh crore. The already weakened MSME sector is not catered to, as nothing has been done to stimulate demand. Moreover, the transmission of liquidity has not been smooth and resulted in inflationary trends supplemented by the burgeoning fiscal deficit. Experts say that this has led to import substitution which is not good for the emerging economy. There is a need for multilateralism and not self-sufficiency.

BALSIMRAN SINGH, AMRITSAR

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Equal opportunities

This is with reference to ‘Girls to take NDA exam’. The Supreme Court's ruling to allow women to appear in the NDA exam is laudable. The verdict will help fulfil the dreams of many girls like Anvesha Malpa (12) of Malang village in Lahaul and Spiti, whose dream is to become an Army officer, and she is now eligible to get admission to Sainik School, Sujanpur Tihra, in Himachal. Learning from the Air Force and the Navy, the Army should provide equal ranks and opportunities to women aspirants.

Devender Chauhan, by mail

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