WAR ON TERRORISM
Black Tuesday: the missing part of the story

We are flooded with letters from our readers here and abroad on the terrorist attacks in New York and Washington. Keeping in view the global importance of the subject, we shall carry on this page viewpoints of our readers in the next few days. — Editor

THE terrorist strikes in New York and Washington have shaken up the entire world. There is a chorus for retaliation in the United States against Osama and his Al Qaida network. However, US officials as well as media appear to be missing a significant part of the story.

Al Qaida, Osama as well as the Taliban do not operate in isolation. The common thread for all these phenomena is Pakistan. Since 1989, Pakistan, the main supporter of the Taliban, has coordinated the largest terrorist operation in the world directed against Jammu and Kashmir state of India. Groups such as Lashkar-e-Toiba, Harkat-ul-Mujahideen and Jaish-e-Mohammed share logistics and training in dozens of Pakistani and Afghan camps with the Al Qaida network. Trainees of these camps operate in Muslim hotspots from Bosnia in the west to Philippines in the east.

Subodh Atal, Lalit Koul, Sunil Fotedar, Columbia

Under attack

My name is Sartaj Singh Bajwa: I am a 22-year-old Punjab native currently residing in New Jersey, USA. As you already know we have had one of the worst terrorist attacks ever committed in the new world, in our beloved city of New York. The city, which is known as an international city, is called “home” by people from all across the world.

I personally eye-witnessed the events unfold on the morning of September 11. But the main reason for my e-mail to you is because of the actions that have been taken against our people since this horrific incident. From some eye-witnesses and confirmed media reports, I have come to know of incidents where our Keshdhari Sikh men have had to face physical and verbal violence. Our Gurdwara Sahib in Richmond Hill, Queens, NY, was under attack by some pistol-waving American youths. A Sikh gentleman was also beaten up in New York city. All this because our turbans and facial hair give a resemblance of Arab Muslims. Especially the prime suspect Osama bin Laden.

I am urging you to make Indians in India aware of what is happening to Sikhs in USA, in the aftermath of this disaster. In the towers itself we expect to have a number of Indian casualties, due to the fact that there were a number of IT and business related firms located there.

Sartaj S. Bajwa, New Jersey

Lessons for media

America has witnessed one of its worst terrorist attack on its commercial and defence installations since World War II when Pearl Harbour was attacked by the Japanees. The entire world has been shocked while watching on TV the gruesome murders and cries of its helpless citizens trapped in the famous World Trade Center Towers. This is a major intelligence failure of the American administration.

The myth of a strong, unshakable and unbreakable security ring of the present-day world’s only super power has been exploded. We, as a major terrorist attack-prone country, can learn a lot of lessons from this sad tragedy of the American intelligence administrative failure.

One of the most important lessons to learn is for our media. While the entire world was watching the American tragedy on T.V. through different channels, not even a single TV channel projected the American opposition leaders or people criticising the American administrative intelligence failure. The entire America seems to be in a state of deep shock. The entire country, including state leaders, opposition Congress and the public are supporting the government with one voice in its hour of despair. There was no voice of dissent or criticism, not even an exception in this regard. This depicts the healthiness and maturity of the American democratic system.

Now imagine the same picture in India — be it Kandahar Indian airlines hijacking, the Kargil intrusion or the Gujarat earthquake tragedy. Our different TV channels from the day one immediately start criticising government failures, demoralising security personnel, pointing intelligence failures by inviting opposition leaders and individuals at their channels to show they are presenting a balanced TV coverage and not supporting whole-heartedly in its hour of tragedy.

The question is why the media is so balanced, positive and self restrained in the West and not on our soil. During the Agra summit, the media was again impatient criticising the government almost projecting Pakistan’s viewpoint and not exposing Pak diplomatic hypocracy. Our TV media need self-introspection in this regard.

Subhash Sood, New Shimla

Sikhs attacked

I am writing this letter from Toronto (Canada). I belong to Chandigarh. I daily read your online edition. Today through your newspaper I want to inform the public that situation here is very serious. After those incidents at the World Trade Center some groups here are attacking Sikhs. Sikhs here are mistakenly taken as Arabs because of their similar looks. A number of Sikhs in Toronto were attacked by local groups on September 14. An old Sikh, Tarlochan Singh, was attacked in front of a mall in the city of Waterloo, near Toronto. His condition is serious because of head injuries.

Because your online edition is read through North America , so I request you to print this matter in your newspaper. So that people can take care while going outside from home in North America. I also request the Government of India to take necessary steps through their embassies in these countries.

Balwinder Singh, Toronto

Time to think

Mr Bush and Mr Powell should think calmly about their foreign policy. The USA has encouraged fundamentalism in every region, whether it was Vietnam, Afghanistan, Pakistan, Israel or Palestine. But the results are coming in such a manner which should make Americans realise their past mistakes. If Truman were alive today, he would have realised the impact of the Hiroshima Bomb. Those who live in glasshouses should not throw pebbles on others.

Dr Jasvinder Singh, Ludhiana

Wake up

The air-attacks on the landmark buildings in the United States of America are a grim warning to the world that the terrorists mean business. They will not stop short of anything in order to achieve whatever goals they may have. And moreover, these attacks have highlighted that there is no place to hide — the terror machine can reach anywhere, and in an unheard of and unimagined manner.

Big powers play host to terrorists in order to obtain short-term gains. But the monsters that they create refuse to die once those aims are met. They find newer goals and develop more sinister methods to achieve them. The seed of today’s tragedy could have been sown in Afghanistan, the Gulf, Europe, Indonesia, or just about anywhere by the USA itself. Even today, the states (Like Pakistan) which openly abet terrorism, are not officially branded as terrorists and are allowed to continue with their nefarious activities.

Time to wake up, Uncle Sam! Please do not be cocooned in the vain belief that the USA is beyond the reach of determined evil-minded groups. You must act now and form a genuine and strong force in conjugation with other countries (like India) which have been fighting terrorism for a long time for now. Otherwise, please remember, the terrorist has proved to you that he has no limits.

Naveen Laroiya, Kathmandu

Of a minority

I am writing to you on behalf of the Sikh American community of California. We are pained and shocked by the horrific attack on the people and property of the United States. Our hearts are full of sadness for the thousands that have been devastated.

We also want to point out that the Sikhs, with their turbans and beards, must not be mistaken for any terrorist group. There are approximately 400,000 Sikhs in the USA and Canada and 24 million worldwide. The Sikhs have been living in North America for more than a hundred years.

During the tension with Iraq and Iran in the last decade many Sikhs became the target of hate by the ignorant. We are already receiving news of hate attacks on New York cab drivers.

You are requested to raise the awareness level of the masses at this critical time so that the Sikhs do not become an unfair target as a backlash of the terrorist attack on the USA.

Capt K. H. Singh, California

We are OK

There is no fear of retaliation on the Sikh community in California despite a few incidents. The entire NRI community of the United States is mourning the dead, has pledged support and is organising a campaign with one voice as Americans first. We have been assured by President Bush at the prayers on September 14 to lead our lives as American citizens without fear and join the country against terrorism. I wish to convey to your readers that all Sikhs of Punjab, especially who wear turbans, are safe. We wish to thank Mrs Sonia Gandhi for her message of solace and assistance thru Rajiv Gandhi Foundation, USA, for the people of New York and US Americans.

Vikramjit S. Bajwa, President All-America India Congress, Inc. California

No one is safe

The acts of terrorism in the USA make it evident that no nation is immune to the scourge of terrorism. It is, hence, overdue that all nations unite to get rid of this disease from our beautiful planet.

Dr Upinder Fotadar, New York