M A I L B A G

Insurgency: use of Army can’t help

Lt-Gen (retd) Harwant Singh’s article, “Perils of fighting insurgents: Why abrogate Armed Forces Special Powers Act?” (Oct 28) does not make a strong case for the retention of this Act.

Insurgency is a mass based movement and any law which has the potential of being misused, for whatever justifiable reasons, against the masses would further alienate the people from the mainstream. Social engineering and therapeutic approach can do wonders to the masses who feel aggrieved for allegedly being wronged on the so-called socio-economic front.

Military operations are no solution to insurgency because those who have chosen to challenge the might of the state cannot be cowed down through browbeating by the armed forces. Had it been the case, insurgency would have vanished long ago. Let the Armed Forces Special Powers Act go for a change and give the people in insurgency affected states a chance to ponder and be a part of the confidence building exercise between the people and the state.

CHITRANGADA SINGH, Panchkula

Divali loses spiritual touch Divali was celebrated with great pomp and ceremony on Tuesday. Houses and shops were illuminated, valuable gifts were exchanged, more and more DJs and dance floors were organised and pollution-causing crackers were burst. Consequently, one gets an impression that Divali has become too materialistic, having lost its great spiritual value. Have we been successful in uncovering the darkness of our beings? How far have we succeeded in eliminating the discrimination between a boy and a girl, or baseless beliefs attached to religions or narrow walls separating brothers? Can’t we do something really pious and meaningful in the form of educating an illiterate person, planting a sapling, financing a poor student or feeding a hungry person on festivals like Divali? Only then, Divali will help eliminate the inner darkness and give us the satisfaction of doing something really humane. GEETA GOYAL, Lecturer, RKSD College, Kaithal (Haryana)

What about roads?

The Bombay High Court has rightly issued directions to the Bombay Municipal Corporation and the PWD to repair the roads in the city within 15 days and report their roadworthiness. This is really praiseworthy because the order was in response to a petition by a doctor.

What about our own roads here? The Haryana government too needs similar directions from the Punjab and Haryana High Court to improve the roads in Panchkula. This has been brought to the notice of the authorities time and again but in vain.

KHUSHI KHANNA, Panchkula

Include mother too

A child carries the name of father in all documents right from the birth in school, college, university and even in all official records including courts. Shouldn’t it carry the name of mother also as she has to bear the brunt, right from conception.

The father’s name can be there along with the mother’s. This is more relevant if the parents divorce or the mother is financially independent and either she or the child does not get any maintenance.

RANI MUKHERJEE, Chandigarh

No interviews

I had been to Chandigarh recently for the Ex-Serviceman Contributory Health Scheme (Government of India’s Ministry of Defence) interview. We were about 60-70 candidates — doctors, medical specialists, dental surgeons and lab assistants. After waiting for 90 minutes, we were told that the interview has been postponed.

Three months ago, the Jalandhar Military Hospital also cancelled the interview without citing any reason. Last year, the ECHS interview at Palampur too was peremptorily postponed. What should one say about this series of postponement in the defence services?

Dr ALKA SHARMA, Pathankot

Nurses’ Council

This has reference to the news-item, “Move on Nurses’ Council draws flak” (Oct 19). The move to reorganise the Punjab Nurses’ Registration Council is objectionable. The PNRC Act, 1932, was enacted to promote the interest of the nursing profession and to help nurses regulate and decide their own matters.

Decisions are taken either by the president, who is a doctor or at the level of the secretariat and, then, imposed on the members. The council must function independently with no interference; it must assert itself and keep vested interests at bay. The Act should be so amended as to make a nurse, with due administrative experience, the council head as in other states.

GULSHAN BIR KAUR, Principal, MPHW Trg (F) School, Sangrur

Pakistan’s designs

It is hard to say if Pakistan would stop providing help and training to militants. For Pakistan’s politicians seem helpless before the hardliners — the maulanas and maulvis of different madarsas. Even the Indian government is unable to do anything against the illegal activities of the madarsas in India.

They act freely because they are patronised by politicians. If anyone tries to speak against them, they scream that Islam is in danger in India. Who can raise voice against the bad elements?

KUMUD KUMAR, Jind (Haryana)