Take a stand

‘26/11 anniversary’ and ‘India’s abstention on Iran vote’ depict lndia’s ambiguous stand on terrorism and human rights violations. The former shows India lamenting over the international community’s tepid response, not leading to a crackdown on terrorists in Pakistan. India has criticised the 26/11 attackers going unpunished and the decision of the FATF to take Pakistan off the grey list. At the same time, India justifies its abstention on Iran vote, on a UNHRC resolution seeking a probe into the ongoing crackdown on protesters in the name of pragmatism and diplomacy. If hijab and violation of human rights are wrong in India, aren’t they wrong in Iran and China as well? India must shun this ‘running with the hare and hunting with the hounds’ policy and unequivocally condemn terrorism and human rights violations everywhere.

CS MANN, UNA

Iran vote

Apropos of ‘India’s abstention on Iran vote’, India and Iran have friendly relations in many areas. Iran’s military posture has led to an increase in arms purchases by its neighbours, and a nuclear-armed Iran would likely spark an arms race in the Middle East. This would further destabilise the volatile and vital region. Whether it is abstaining against Iran vote, or Russia’s special operations in Ukraine, India’s decisions have been based on its security and economic interests.

Tashi Baheti, by mail

Hope from yatra

Refer to ‘Rahul’s yatra ticking all the right boxes’; while the Congress has its own internal conflicts, the clash of ideologies is at its peak in the country. In the present circumstances, not only in India, but also an atmosphere of hatred is being generated across the whole world. This means that the majority of people in every country want their ideology to be respected within the country and others to follow it. In the midst of all the challenges and struggles, Rahul Gandhi has set out on his journey, but will he really be able to unite India and the Congress? The party may benefit from the yatra, provided this journey is not limited to the 2024 Lok Sabha elections.

Sikandar Bansal, Shimla

Cyber fraud

Apropos of the middle ‘Look before you leap online’, while the mode of online transactions does offer speed and convenience, there are also dangers far beyond the imagination of most people. The government’s push for digitisation has forgotten to take the safety aspect into consideration, and, as a result, there are hundreds of cases of cyber crooks cleaning up bank accounts without a trace. Constant emails and messages are sent, requesting the user to click on a link. Some of them may be genuine, but such is the fear of being duped that all are dumped into the virtual bin. With crooks using more sophisticated tools, bank accounts are going to be sitting ducks for those operating with impunity.

ANTHONY HENRIQUES, MUMBAI

Extravagant expenditure

It is unfortunate that hardly any day goes when there is no advertisement of the Punjab Government in newspapers, especially with photographs of the CM with folded hands. Bhagwant Mann has surpassed all previous records of advertisements in the media, besides big hoardings in cities and towns, listing his achievements. Preaching and teachings of the Gurus and other legends or martyrs are never published in such advertisements. Crores of rupees are being spent from the depleting state coffers on political drama and vanity. Such huge amounts could be utilised for development works and the welfare of people. Free electricity is no achievement as the scheme is effecting otherwise for the credit is accumulated. Further, this is happening perhaps for the first time that a majority of Cabinet ministers and MLAs are in other states for campaigns, putting another burden on the state treasury. The CM should pay attention to the state and serious issues like drug menace, violence and crime, which have become a matter of routine.

Raj Kumar Kapoor, Ropar

Himachal polls

Reference to the Himachal elections; as the date of results are approaching, the BJP has started claiming that it will retain power in the state. Overconfidence of the government is not good. The Congress is also powerful in Himachal Pradesh and has worked hard to win the elections. However, it seems difficult for the AAP to win as the two traditional parties have been in the game for long and have been winning polls. The result of the Himachal elections may also give an idea where the parties are headed in the Gujarat elections.

Sanat Laul, Shimla

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