Military restraint not a good idea

Apropos of ‘Restraint as Statecraft : The Next Chapter’; it may not be politically and militarily wise for us to adopt restraint as an instrument of statecraft. It dents deterrence. Military operations take into account all the possible alternatives and, therefore, know no restraint, except the one pertaining to the availability of resources. The restraints imposed by the political executive have tied the hands of military commanders many times. Strategic autonomy is a laudable virtue, but what India needs is strategic heft with a military behemoth like China.

Lt Col GS Bedi (retd), Mohali

Safety must be a daily guarantee

Refer to ‘Indore shocker’; the stalking and molestation of two Australian women cricketers is a shameful reminder of how unsafe India’s public spaces remain for women, regardless of one’s status or the place one is in. That such an incident occurred in broad daylight, near a luxury hotel and during an international tournament, exposes not just policing lapses but also a deeper societal failure. The quick action resulting in an arrest is good news, but it cannot mask systemic negligence. Safety cannot be event-specific; it must be a daily, universal guarantee for every woman. People’s security, especially of women, must become a national priority — beyond politics and token gestures.

Vandana, Chandigarh

Society’s role in fighting drugs

Refer to ‘Drug-addict couple sells 5-month-old son for Rs 1.58 lakh’; it was heart-rending to hear how cruel the world has become. Tall claims of the success of the Punjab government’s ‘Yudh Nasheyan Virudh’ have fallen flat. It shows that the government and the police are nowhere near overcoming the deep-seated evil from society. Selling off one’s own child, that too for drugs, is no less than murder; the couple deserves exemplary punishment. There should be no forgiveness for this despicable act. Neither the government nor the police can alone do anything; the society has to rise together to fight this menace.

Raj Kumar Kapoor, Ropar

NDA ahead in Bihar campaign

In Bihar, the Congress can’t dictate terms to Lalu Yadav’s RJD, which is in a commanding position due to its strong base in the state, hence the Congress is playing second fiddle. There is a friendly fight on 11 seats as the bloc candidates are contesting against each other. The Opposition MGB is squabbling over internal issues, while the ruling NDA is far ahead with a galaxy of national leaders running a high-decibel campaign. Land-for-job scam is a blot on the face of the RJD which the NDA must play on. The INDIA bloc, however, is relying heavily on populist measures to garner votes.

Karnail Singh, Kharar

Garbage dumps in Holy City

One can spot garbage dumps everywhere in the city famous for the Golden Temple. Newspapers do report about meetings held to deal with garbage collection and lifting, but the situation remains unchanged, with trash piling up. Ironically, I saw a group of foreign tourists picking up trash themselves. The problem of waste management in Amritsar needs urgent attention. If this is the condition of a global tourist destination, one can easily imagine the mess in small towns and cities of Punjab.

Vijay Laxmi, Amritsar

Balance in managing students

With reference to ‘Beatings at school had a silver lining’; discipline in school calls for a balance a teacher needs to maintain. Neither should students feel threatened because of the fear of beatings, nor should they behave recklessly or mischievously because of leniency. Undoubtedly, the older generation is more disciplined, punctual and restrained in every manner. With no fear of strict punishment in schools, students have become sensitive and their tolerance levels have reduced exponentially. It would become a handicap for them in solving real-life problems as they step into the mad world. The transition from a lenient school life to the pressures of professional life results in poor mental health and low self-confidence in an individual, who is not able to sustain himself/ herself.

Harsimranvir Singh, Patiala