Pakistan must seek a cure for the cancer that’s crippling it

The Pakistan government should realise that its support for jihadis is thwarting peace and security in the Southeast Asian region.

Pakistan must seek a cure for the cancer that’s crippling it

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US President Barack Obama rightly states that the threat to Pakistan comes from terror outfits operating on its soil — and not India (Threat is terror, not India, May 14). The Pakistan government should realise that its support for jihadis is thwarting peace and security in the Southeast Asian region. It needs to check the rise of Islamicist terror outfits within before offering help the US resolve the terror problem in Afghanistan. It is a matter of concern that the terror ‘cancer’, as Obama puts it, is spreading fast in Pakistan and its neighbouring countries.

Cajetan Peter D’Souza, Mumbai

A dearth of messengers

This refers to Zia Haq’s report Deoband needs to catch up (May 15). In the wake of the controversy around female Muslim professionals, it is disappointing that not even a single Muslim journalist expressed his/her concerns on the issue. Islam doesn’t stop women from working. Incorrect interpretations of the Koran by phoney scholars are misleading uneducated Muslims. So, it is the duty of the educated Muslims to spread awareness.

Farrukh Nadeem, via email

Blast corruption, not caste

Sagarika Ghose’s article A blinkered vision (Bloody Mary, May 12) is thought-provoking. Some political analysts believe that a caste-based census is neither feasible nor desirable, as it will create more problems than it aims to solve. However, Ghose feels that such a census is important for the welfare of backward communities and people from lower castes. What she seems to be unaware of is that the solution doesn’t lie in numbers. Over the years, our successive governments have allocated billions for the welfare of the poor. But corruption in the system prevents these funds from reaching them. So the real enemy is corruption and efforts should be made to curb it.

Ashok Jain, Gurgaon

Divide and rue for the UPA

This refers to the report Beijing gaffe may cost Jairam his job (May 13). Minister of State for Environment and Forests Jairam Ramesh should refrain from criticising other ministers. His comments on the inability of the ministry of external affairs to strengthen Indo-China ties and the failure of the home ministry to tackle the Naxal problem send a wrong signal to the international community. The prime minister should realise that petty arguments among ministers are causing damage to the UPA government’s reputation.

S. Rajagopalan, Chennai

He’s set his sights too low

With reference to the report Gadkari calls Lalu, Mulayam licking dogs, retracts later (May 13), it is unfortunate that the chief of a national party used profane language to describe senior politicians. It is one thing to criticise political opponents in public and quite another to resort to such uncivil conduct. BJP chief Nitin Gadkari has been trying hard to get the party back on its feet. But with such controversies, it’s doubtful if he will succeed in his endeavour.

N.K. Bhatia, via email

Really Left out in the cold

The editorial What’s Left of it (The Pundit, May 13) rightly states that the Communist Party of India (Marxist), is running out of policies on public welfare. Thankfully, the comrades have finally realised that their desire for a good lifestyle is hampering the party’s growth. Add to it party workers’ contempt for each other — as the expulsion of Somnath Chatterjee and the treatment meted out to W.R. Varadarajan suggest — and it becomes clear that the Left has slowly but surely lost its importance as a responsible and strong Opposition.

Janaki Narayanan, via email