India, too, has failed

This refers to ‘Stranded in Kabul’. Who would have believed that after a 20-year stay of its combat forces in Afghanistan and a self-disclosed expenditure of trillions of dollars, the mighty US would not only fail to protect a democratically elected Afghan government, but would also be found terribly wanting in making timely plans to evacuate its citizens? The advance declaration of the deadline of withdrawal of US forces from Afghanistan might have enabled the Taliban to make a foolproof plan. Electoral politics so often becomes the bane of democracy. If the US put all its eggs in the ISI-Taliban basket, we perhaps made the mistake of putting our eggs in the US basket. Despite being involved in many development projects in Afghanistan, and spending billions, when no role was seen for India in the Russia- led parleys over the Afghan issue with China, the US and Pakistan, we should have prepared for all eventualities in Afghanistan. Wasn’t our embassy in Afghanistan supposed to keep a keen watch on the developments for timely evacuation of all Indians present there before winding itself?

HL Sharma, Amritsar

Power play in Afghanistan

The recent developments in the Afghanistan region have vindicated that the real sufferer in the whole fiasco is the common man. The US that claims to be a beacon of democracy and human rights, has steered clear from all its moral obligations and claims. Furthermore, the Taliban claims to be a pro-Islamist group believing in Sharia. It is hypocritical of them to maintain friendly relations with China, which is conducting large-scale genocide against Uighur Muslims in Xinjiang. All the players are trying to fool the people to secure their own strategic interests. Amidst this chaotic political power play, my heart goes out to the people of Afghanistan who are in the crosshairs of this debacle. They are the real victims and will continue to be so until peace returns.

Madhvi Sharma, by mail

Deaf to Afghanistan’s plea

Refer to ‘In Afghan collapse, the fall of international relations’; the situation is heartbreaking for all the people. The Americans had a major role to play in this chaotic situation, but the words of Biden seem strange as he claims that the entire problem has been caused by the Afghan army and its government. This is a bare omission of the acknowledgment of one’s responsibility. It is sad to see the indifference of the US government to Afghanistan’s plea for help. It is a pity that the greed for power and wealth has made global leaders to turn blind to the dangerous consequences of their politics of hate.

Nirmal Rosh, Bengaluru

US to blame

The Taliban has once again enslaved the people of Afghanistan. How many people have lost their lives and how many have become homeless due to their cruelty! This is a tragedy for all of humanity. The US is responsible for the current situation in Afghanistan because it decided to leave without a concrete plan.

Jasdeep kaur, Ludhiana

New vaccination

Apropos of ‘Jab for adolescents’, it is a big step in strengthening the nation’s vaccination drive. The present inoculation rate of 60 lakh doses per day needs to be ramped up to 90 lakh a day to achieve the set target of vaccinating all adults by the year-end. At the same time, the government and regulators concerned have to ensure that no approvals are sanctioned in haste and the necessary trials of new vaccines are conducted on the Indian population before authorising their emergency use to avoid any negative side-effects. The vaccine which is successful in some other country cannot be equally effective in India.

VANDANA, CHANDIGARH

Judicial vacancies

There are 12 lakh registered advocates in India. Approximately 950 law schools teach nuances of the legal profession to 4-5 lakh law students across the country. Every year, about 60,000-70,000 law graduates join the profession. There are 41% vacancies of HC judges all over India. Can’t we select 454 experienced advocates from 12 lakh registered advocates to fill the vacancies? Even nine seats of SC judges are unoccupied. About 5.75 million cases are pending in the high courts across the country, and 38.15 million cases are pending in the district courts. In some cases, a judgment is given after decades of filing a case. The public will start perceiving that society is now an organised conspiracy to rob them of their rights. The government should fill all vacancies on an emergency basis as there is enough legal talent in India.

Rajesh Goyal, by mail

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