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Pak’s nukes a threat to peace

The editorial “Terrorists eying Pak nukes: Time to devise a safety strategy” (April 14) was thought-provoking and timely. Surely, if at all there is any danger of a nuclear strike in any part of the globe, it would certainly be from the Al-Qaida terrorists who are bent on acquiring Pakistani nuclear weapons at any cost. US President Barack Obama should be lauded for his effort for calling a Nuclear Security Summit. What is really disturbing is the editorial line: “But it is quite startling to be told that Al-Qaida already has such nuclear capabilities or weapons.”

It would be wrong to discount the possibilities of terror groups, operating from the Pakistani soil and acquiring weapons of mass destruction. The editorial rightly states, “The Taliban, which has been closely linked with Al-Qaida, has no dearth of sympathisers in the Pakistan Army.”

Though the US President has blatantly asked Pakistan Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani to keep his nuclear arsenal safe and out of reach of the terror groups, it is doubtful that Mr Gilani will pay heed to Mr Obama’s request.

Certainly, Pakistan must “weed out” the sympathisers of Al-Qaida in the Pakistani Army before it is too late. A single nuclear bomb can cause a holocaust wherever it is exploded. Chandigarh’s population can be wiped off by just one nuclear bomb of small intensity.

Pakistan should stop playing politics over this highly sensitive issue and must eliminate all terrorists from its land, even those operating against India. Every effort should be made by the international community to ensure safety of the nuclear weapons of Pakistan, which are likely to fall into wrong hands. The UN should take over Pakistan’s nukes into its own safe hands before the terror groups operating in Pakistan capture these.

R K KAPOOR, Chandigarh

Letters to the Editor
Letters to the Editor, neatly hand-written or typed in double space, should not exceed the 150-word limit. These can be sent by post to the Letters Editor, The Tribune, Sector 29, Chandigarh-160030. Letters can also be sent by e-mail to:Letters@tribuneindia.com

— Editor-in-Chief

Materialistic attitude

Sunit Dhawan’s middle, “Trapped in mayajaal” (April 13) is like a wake-up call. People are chasing material wealth blindly as if it is the only thing that matters. Money is nothing if one doesn’t realise the value of time. Life is meant to be enjoyed and not frittered away in minting money.

We let time pass by and pay for extra workload and tension with ill health. Giving away our precious time in lieu of money is the worst bargain we can strike. We should take life in its stride. We must spend some happy moments with family and friends. Such moments are far more precious than money. Someone rightly said that if you can spend a perfectly useless afternoon in a perfectly useless way, you have learnt how to live.

BHUSHAN CHANDER JINDAL, Jalandhar

The middle was thought-provoking and the writer gave good examples to explain his point. It is true that today money has captivated one and all. People are ready to sacrifice anything for money as they give preference to money and ignore health and relationships.

In fact, most people run after money though money isn’t everything. Due to our materialistic attitude we become dissatisfied and depressed. According to Alexander Solzhenitsyn, “The constant desire to have more things and still a better life, and a struggle to this end imprints many western faces with worry and even depression, though it is customary to carefully conceal such feelings”.

RAMESHINDER SINGH SANDHU, Amritsar

Fatal stress

Parents’ inability to cope with the failure of their wards and their rising expectations from their progeny has made failure a dreadful thing which puts undue pressure on children’s minds (article, “Need to check alarming rise in suicides” by the Balvinder, April 3).

The writer has rightly quoted, “The only real failure in life is one not learned from.” So why not take failure as an opportunity to do better the next time.

On the whole, both parents and children need to remember the great values of our rich cultural tradition that spreads the message of love and affection.

ANDE A ANAND, Chambaghat (Solan)

Fix accountability
The editorial, “Some heads must roll: Why are security forces sitting ducks?” (April 8) was thought-provoking. The tragic news of the massacre of jawans of the Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) by Maoists cast a pall of gloom on the nation.
India is facing internal as well as external threats. Our soft state image is, perhaps, largely responsible for our failure to tackle these threats. Quite often, the authorities at the helm of affairs become complacent and over-confident. This results in failure to handle violent incidents.
Our forces fighting the Maoists must have full knowledge of the strategy adopted by the Maoists in the jungle warfare. The country’s intelligence needs to be geared up. Repeated failures of our forces in their fight against the Maoists has a demoralising effect on the nation’s morale.
The Union Home Minister’s refusal to deploy the Army to contain any internal threat is right but in the face of a serious threat, it should not become a universal principle. The gravity of the impending threat should determine the need for the deployment of the Army. Countrymen lose patience every time the Maoists strike and kill.
The editorial rightly states: “It’s time, therefore, for some bureaucratic heads to roll. Their complete lack of accountability is what seems to be dragging the operation down.”
IQBAL SINGH, Bijhari, Hamirpur