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A sporting icon the nation has forgotten

It is very unfortunate to ignore the family of a legendary athlete who did the nation proud by his rare achievement in the 1962 Jakarta Asiad. His bereaved family is living in penury (news item 'Makhan Singh: A sporting icon forgotten by the nation', August 21).

A recipient of the Arjuna Award, Makhan Singh had the distinction of beating the Flying Sikh too. One hopes his family receives a generous financial support from the Central government and is allotted a gas agency or a petrol pump. The Punjab government should restore a decent monthly pension to the family, enabling it to live a life of dignity and honour.

D S KANG, Hoshiarpur

An unsung athlete

It was good to go through the facts and figures in The Tribune about Makhan Singh, the country's unsung athlete. It is sad that the government has totally ignored this Arjuna Award winner, who had to do driving and a job at a shop and ultimately died pathetically. His family members, too, are having a hard time earning their livelihood. Had it not been for a good Samaritan, they would have perished in oblivion. It is time the government did something for the family of the late athlete so that the faith of future athletes is restored in the government and sports.

MANJEET SINGH ISHAR, Mohali

Teachers' role

Apropos the letter 'Pathetic state of Haryana universities' (August 21), the quality of teaching provided by an educational institution mainly depends on the quality and excellence of the teaching staff. When teachers themselves do not possess good academic qualifications prescribed as an eligibility or master's degree in the relevant subject, how can we raise the standard of education?

Teachers are appointed by the Vice-Chancellor (VC) and it is for the VC to check the complete academic record of a candidate before permitting him to join his university. But mostly, the VC faces pressure from MLAs, MPs, ministers and others. The government and the university must ensure that teachers are appointed on the basis of merit and not on any extraneous consideration.

OM PARKASH WADHWA, Rohtak

Letters to the Editor

Letters to the Editor, typed in double space, should not exceed the 200-word limit. These should be cogently written and can be sent by e-mail to: Letters@tribuneindia.com — Editor-in-Chief

Pak game plan

Pakistan's attitude towards India, over the decades, has been dubious, treacherous and far from being friendly. Pakistan has repeatedly violated the Tashkent Agreement, the Simla Agreement, the Ceasefire Agreement and the Geneva Convention in the shape of border skirmishes and infiltrating terrorists into our territory.

The recent suicide bomb attack on the Indian Consulate in Jalalabad in which over a dozen people were killed was a part of larger strategy. Pakistan is using LeT groups to dent Indian interests in Kabul. LeT chief Hafiz Saeed, the mastermind of the 26/11 attacks, recently declared to launch an armed jihad in Kashmir after the withdrawal of the American forces from Afghanistan. He also openly threatened that his terrorists would carry out an attack in the national capital. No doubt, LeT's acts of terror are backed by the Pakistan army. The recent killing of five soldiers in Poonch is highly condemnable. Pakistan's game plan is now to infiltrate militants into eastward and westward territories.

DR H KUMAR KAUL, Barnala

Avoidable tragedy

The editorial 'Pilgrims' untimely end' (August 21) has rightly said that lack of safety measures led to this tragedy. On the other hand, pilgrims mowed down had no business to be on the tracks. Breaking laws and rules surely is an open invitation to such accidents. More shocking is the trend to blame the driver, the authorities, harass common people and destroy public property.

Moreover, the railway police force was to blame for the non-implementation and enforcement of the rules and regulations on the railway stations. Generally, it has become a habit to cross the tracks. If law is enforced strictly and strongly and offenders are punished, such tragedies can be avoided.

VITULL K GUPTA, Bathinda