Only diplomacy will work

Refer to the editorial ‘Military options’ (Aug 26); diplomacy is the only option to deal with the Chinese transgression in Ladakh. Mobilising men and material along the LAC is a must to guard against any further evil intent of the dragon. Despite the fact that China is stronger, both militarily and economically, there is no doubt that our brave armed forces will give a befitting reply if a war is thrust upon us. But, what made the CDS talk about military options if the talks fail is confusing, since such statements, if at all, should come from the political leadership. The General is either nurturing a false hope that this threat will make China behave or is trying to project a tough taskmaster image of his political bosses. Politicians must prioritise nation-building over their own image-building in the face of such threats to the integrity of the nation. Chinese transgression in Indian economy is even deeper and cannot be reversed overnight.

HL Sharma, Amritsar

Shed sycophancy

Punjab minister Brahm Mohindra’s statement ‘Without Gandhis, there is no Congress’ (Aug 25) reminded me of a similar statement made in the past by an Assamese Congress leader who said ‘Indira is India and India is Indira’. It is said success is not possible without change and those who can’t change their minds, can’t change anything. Unfortunately, Congress leaders have not learnt any lesson from their party’s debacle in the 2014 and 2019 Lok Sabha elections. They are not ready to change their mindset of sycophancy.

AK Agarwal, Chandigarh

Make it heaven again

Apropos of ‘Hoping it will be heaven once more’ (Aug 25), Kashmir, the jewel crown of India, has withstood the vagaries of time. Its history is a testimony to the fact that the Hindu, Buddhist and Islamic underpinnings not only enriched the idea of Kashmiriyat, but also instilled a deep, spiritual and symbolic meaning. This amalgamation is the primary reason for its sustenance, despite the onslaught of foreign conquerors in this holy land of revered rishis and Sufi saints. The government should focus on maintaining lasting peace, curbing terrorism and working towards development, employment generation, attracting tourists, FDI, etc, rather than on petty vote-bank politics. The remarks of the chronicler and celebrated poet of Kashmir, Kalhana, in his Rajatarangini, that Kashmir can not be conquered by force, but only by spiritual means are still relevant. It should serve as a raison d’etre to uphold and maintain the dignity of Kashmir.

Vijay Singh Adhikari, Nainital

Whiff of peace

Refer to ‘UAE has a change of heart’; it is nothing short of a trump card for US President Trump in an election year. The Israeli PM’s patience and the wisdom of UAE Crown Prince Mohammed bin Zayed, backed by US power, have facilitated this development, which will have a long and lasting positive effect in the Middle East. For India and its diaspora, it is a win-win situation. For India, the added advantage is that it will hit Pakistan hard, which is yet to get out of Saudi shock. It is like a whiff of peace in the disturbing Covid times.

AK SHARMA, by mail

SC on contempt

Refer to the Prashant Bhushan case; if the SC really wants to provide for a fair ground, the power to interpret contempt should not just lie in its hands, as the definition of contempt is open-ended. A case which involves substantial questions of law should have a quorum of minimum five judges. How does the SC distinguish between criticism and contempt? In order to revive its image, the SC should establish clearer guidelines on the contempt issue.

Vaishali Thakur, by mail

Fiery editor of Zamindar

Refer to ‘On This Day… 100 years ago’(July 31); I was a student of class X in a school, which is now in Pakistan, and used to read a couple of news reports from The Tribune, placed on a lectern. After school hours, on returning home, I browsed through the Zamindar purchased by a neighbour. The couplet ‘Noor-e-Khuda hai kufr kee harkat pe khanda-zan/Phunkon sey ye chiragh bujhaaya na jaaega’ invariably appeared at the top of the front page. Zafar Ali Khan was the short-fused owner and editor of the paper. Because of his fiery nature, he was called koh-e-aatish-fishaan (volcano). He did not brook even the slightest criticism of what he wrote. The main targets of his vitriolic criticism were the British government in India and the Ahmadiyyas of Qadian. Its security deposits were forfeited, which sometimes amounted to Rs 10,000. When the mosque in Kanpur was demolished in 1913, 30,000 copies of the Zamindar were published and sold within no time. Its popularity was so much that even those who were illiterate purchased it and paid some money to those who were literate to read the news items, articles and poems etc, to them.

BHAGWAN SINGH, Qadian

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