M A I L B A G

Whiff of fresh air in Indo-Pak relations

H.K. Dua’s front-page report “India, Pak give a push to peace process” (April 19) was very timely. There is a whiff of fresh air in the Indo-Pak ties. General Musharraf was a totally changed personality this time. Terrorism too seems to be fizzling out slowly. The ongoing peace process will, certainly, help ease tension and give a big boost to trade and economic cooperation between India and Pakistan.

Let us hope that along with the peace process at the official level, the people-to-people contact will also improve further in the days to come as a big confidence building measure.

SHYAM SUNDER AIRI, Kapurthala

II

The opening of people-to-people contact can be likened to the opening of floodgates of love and faith among our two countries sharing common history and culture. General Musharraf is a good judge of public mood. He also has a sense of history. The will of the unarmed people was strong enough to stand in the face of our colonial masters. It asserted itself in the breaking of the Berlin Wall in recent past.

General Musharraf knows that going along with the popular sentiment can pay rich political dividends in the form of legitimacy to his office. It is the only thing that will strengthen his position and provide stability to it in the long run. As for the hardliners and terrorists, they are fast getting alienated from the people and are sure to become irrelevant soon.

Dr JAGDISH BATRA, Sonepat

III

To sustain the Indo-Pak peace process, I suggest the following measures in addition to those agreed upon in the Delhi Declaration:

Pakistan should set up another consulate office in Chandigarh and India in Lahore for quick disposal of visa applications. Tourist information centres should also be opened in both countries.

Bus services should be introduced between Chandigarh and Lahore and Islamabad to help tourists visit conveniently. Joint meetings of engineers of both countries for water resource development of the Chenab river are necessary to augment irrigation in Pakistan.

RAM NIWAS MALIK, Panchkula

IV

The Delhi Joint Declaration, preceded by cricket diplomacy and General Musharraf’s prayers at Ajmer, is laudable as it has given a fillip to Indo-Pak relations. It will also help promote peace in South Asia.

It is an irony that both leaders born in each other’s country are heads of government of India and Pakistan.

When the rail and road routes are fully operational for trade, Afghanistan will also be a major beneficiary of this peace process.

Lt-Col DAYA SINGH (retd), Bathinda

A progressive step The Centre has kicked off labour law reforms with a Cabinet decision to amend the Factories Act (1948) that will allow women to work on night shifts. It is indeed a progressive decision and should be welcomed by all. In an age of women CEOs, this is a welcome change. It is our social conditioning that prevents women from working at night. Once the law takes the final shape, more and more women would opt for night shifts. Families would stop worrying unnecessarily about their safety at work place. Such a law would open endless opportunities for women, especially in IT and exports. It will give women more flexibility to organise their work and responsibilities at home. But more than anything else, the new law will open new horizons for the fair sex, thus giving them tremendous confidence. RAJNEESH SHARMA, Ludhiana