In the line of duty

The nation mourns the tragic death of 17 brave Army men in an avalanche at Khilanmarg in the upper reaches of Gulmarg. Army posts in such strategic stations are a necessity from the defence point of view to stall nefarious designs of the enemy. The inclement weather conditions and the hazardous nature of the trek are themselves formidable, but the sudden drift of the avalanche sealed the fate of these brave men while on national duty.

Their sacrifices are notable. They died so that we may live in peace. The rescue teams of the Army and the local police did a remarkable job in saving the lives of many jawans, disregarding their personal safety. We bow our heads before these brave Army jawans. The media should highlight their brave deeds.

ARK PILLAI, Gaborone, Botswana  

Indo-Pak peace

Let peace have a robust chance. India being a bigger and a more resourceful nation should walk an extra mile and extend the hand of friendship and not get stuck in the groove of 26/11. Dr Manmohan Singh is a man of vision and can emulate his illustrious predecessors like Jawaharlal Nehru, Indira Gandhi and Atal Bihari Vajpayee in giving a new and dynamic shape to India’s foreign policy commensurate with it’s emerging economic and strategic profile.

India can realise her dream of becoming a superpower parallel to China only if she could have Pakistan on board as an equal, trusting, respectable and enduring partner. The Kashmir imbroglio and other festering issues can be solved to mutual satisfaction if statesmanship and not jingoism is employed on both sides.

India and Pakistan are standing on the cusp of history. They just require a nudge towards peace which will lead to the economic well-being of both countries.

MOHAMMED YAHYA ANSARI, Meerut City

Bt brinjal debate

Much noise is being made on Bt brinjal issue. As I am a farmer I can say that Bt brinjal, would be safer than normal brinjal. In northern India one cannot grow the brinjal crop without spraying harmful and poisonous insecticides to save the crop from fruit and shoot borers.

When many developed countries are growing Bt brinjal, why is India creating so much fuss?

BOGH SINGH, Mansa

Make Goa safe

This refers to the recent happenings in Goa which has sullied our image as a hospitable nation (editorial, “Bad reputation”, Feb 1). Our Asian neighbours, Malaysia, Thailand and Singapore run their tourism industry with professional competence.

Goa is a fine tourist spot. Its government must restructure its administrative structure to ensure the safety of tourists. Goa must decide whether it is serious about being a top tourist destination.

R NARAYANAN, Ghaziabad 

Corrupt bureaucrats

The editorial “Tainted babus” (Feb 9) has exposed the ever-increasing corruption in the bureaucracy and rightly stressed that the government should rationalise laws to enforce transparency and accountability in public administration.

The recovery of bags full of unaccounted money is just a tip of the iceberg as corruption is far more deep-rooted. The moot question is who will catch the corrupt officers? Actually, political corruption is at the root of corruption in the country. So until and unless there is radical change in the mindset of our politicians nothing is going to change except that an occasional catch will discredit governance.

Dr VITULL K GUPTA, Bathinda