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| Saturday, September 2, 2000, Chandigarh, India   
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Mori and CTBT GOING through the editorial
“Mori and CTBT” (August 26), one wonders at the scenario likely to obtain in the event of signing the CTBT in the present situation. It is true, as the editorial points out, that when Japan with Hiroshima and Nagasaki as its “abiding symbols of the destructive potential of nuclear weapons... speaks on the same subject, the global community’s response should be more positive”. It is also good to aver that working “jointly for a nuclear-free world” would fit in nicely with a Japan that “does not need to carry a gun for discussing business with interested parties in the global village”. But can we afford to forget that Japan is protected by US nuclear umbrella which was denied to India despite the fact that she has had a badly bruising brush with the Chinese in 1962 and repeated aggression by Pakistan? Whether the USA viewed these developments with ill-concealed glee or not is not the question here. While it is true that “both India and Pakistan have said that they will not conduct more nuclear tests” and that “country’s (IT) professionals have created a big enough opening to announce India’s presence in the global market as a major player”, must we sign the CTBT without the exclusive nuclear club recognising India as a nuclear weapon state? It might not be prudent to foreclose our options and we shall do well to remember what was aptly said after India’s debacle in 1962 viz development without adequate defence preparedness is a most risky proposition. And Pakistan is not even forthcoming with its “no-first-use” credentials.
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We must also not forget what Mr G. Parthasarthy points out in his article “Pak nuclear, missile plans: Multiple hidden dimensions” alongside the said editorial: “China is determined to adopt a policy of strategic containment of India by its nuclear and missile collaboration with Pakistan, and its growing influence in Myanmar, to our East”.... As long as China and the USA aid and wink at Pakistan’s nuclear buildup, as they have done since 1972 — well before Pokhran 1 — it will be a folly on India’s part to accept their friendly pretensions. Why, the USA did all it could to thwart Russia’s supply of cryogenic engines to India, and the latter’s military supplies when President Clinton went avisiting his counterpart, Mr Yeltsin. And pray what was the former’s response to our quest for advanced technologies before Pokhran II? .... As for President Clinton’s advice to Nawaz Sharif to pull his troops back from LoC in Kargil last year, it might have been prompted to pull their erstwhile ally out of a difficult situation. We must, indeed, wait for a more propitious, credible setting before we sign the CTBT. J. N. NARANG |
Sutlej flood This refers to the news on “Sutlej floods” which brought devastation to an area of about 200 km along its banks on the night of July 31, claiming hundreds of lives and razing property worth hundreds of crores of rupees. Experts have ruled out any possibility of cloud burst in the Tibet area. No cloud burst took place in Kinnaur area also. A conspiracy by the neighbouring country is also not likely. Had the water been blocked (in Tibet area) and subsequently released to cause havoc in Indian territory, the water level in the Sutlej then should have been almost reduced to the minimum at
Khab, which is the meeting point of the Sutlej and the Spiti; but it too did not happen. The mystery still prevails. The government should take up the issue with China to know the exact cause of flash floods in the Sutlej. At the same time, it must not be forgotten that the washing away of about 50 km of road stretch and a number of vital bridges have adversely affected our border defence and security, besides paralysing normal life, as the road is very important one to link Samdo which is our last check-post on Indo-China border. JAGJIWAN SINGH UPPAL Wheat grass
juice
In Monday’s paper, the story of a young boy suffering from thalassemia has been published. He has been treated by DMC hospital, Ludhiana, wherein the elder sister of the child provided for transfusion from time to time and lot of donations are given by various institutions for operation done by the hospital. Thalassemia is a serious disease today, multiplying in large number among children. Ludhiana alone has more than 400 such children. Chandigarh has a large number of children suffering from this disease. Thalassemia is fully curable without operation/transfusion of blood with the help of wheat grass juice — a therapy adopted in Bombay as well as in Ludhiana by parents of a child. The whole story has been covered by the press earlier. Parents of the child are providing free of cost service to all those who seek their advice. The address of the parents is: The Kapadias, 260-H, Bhai Randhir Singh Nagar, Ludhiana. Phone: 457162 S. R. MITTAL Rape cases In every rape case, defence lawyers try to establish consent, mainly with the help of lewd and suggestive questions. The consent can never be proved when victims are only months or years old. Our society never permits any sexual act before marriage. Whenever any such sexual act is reported, the girl is victim. She alone has to face the consequences. Therefore all intercourses should be treated as rape. Intercourse with a married woman by anyone other than the husband, should also be treated as rape, with no provision of any consent. All women and social organisations should take up this matter for the benefit of girls. HARI OM MITTAL
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