Readers? Forum : Repeal Article 370

Repeal Article 370
It is only the Muslims in the Jammu and Kashmir who want Article 370 and even greater autonomy. The rest, including the Hindus in the Valley,
people in Jammu and Ladhak, want to be fully integrated into India and thus want Article 370 to be repealed. Why should we accept the view of a small section of the population?
 ASHOK MEHTA, Delhi
Nation First
It is perplexing as to why Indian
film-makers and artistes have an
affinity to keep requesting not to
politicise art. It is absolutely fine for film-maker Karan Johar  to say that his sentiments post the Uri attack are those with the rest of the nation. But if he or others in the film industry were more politically savvy, they would have collectively tried to call the bluff over the influence some are trying to project. While doing so it is possible that Johar’s film could have taken some financial backlash, but for someone in his position, with his stature and financial background, such a hit would have been absorbable by all means.
 J AKSHOBHYA, Mysore

Keep Distance
(The Saga of Exploitation, August 28); This refers to the article titled ‘The Saga of Exploitation’ by Santosh Verma in Organiser. It is quite natural to have sympathy with anyone who is suffering, in this case Baluch. However, we must keep in mind that Baluchis are also Muslims, like other Pakistanis. I very well remember that during Partition in 1947, Hindu and Sikh refugees in Pakistan refugee camps used to say that one should not go to truncated Bharat with Baluch military as guards
accompanying for safety. They would help Muslim mobs to kill and loot us. I would like to quote from Stern Reckoning a book written by Justice G D Khosla, after collecting data from eye witnesses about the violence done by Muslims in Pakistan. On page-133 and 134, an eye witness says, that “On August 26, at about 8 a.m.( in Sheikhpura), the Muslim Baluch Military surrounded the mill, where eight thousand refugees had taken
shelter….that we should come out and who so ever remained in would be shot dead. …. All were told that they should give all cash and valuables which they had. …. Seven to eight maund of gold and about forty lakh of rupees were taken away by the military men. Then they began to pick and choose young girls….. One of the Muslim Baluch military men took hold of a young girl and began to molest her in the presence of all.” Ultimately all those refugees were slaughtered and some of the girls and women were killed by their own family male members to save their
honour. Our government must not give shelter to such cruel Baluch, except lip sympathy, only to show Pakistan in bad light. Rather it is good, if Baluch Muslims and other Pakistani Muslims keep fighting against each other and destroy themselves.
ANAND PRAKASH, Panchkula, Haryana    
Constitution is Supreme
India is a Secular Democratic Republic and therefore no religion can enforce its law in the country. The practice of triple talaq unhesitatingly implies male
chauvinism. Besides, there are veiled attempts by vested interests for religious hegemony. In such an
ambience, a secular government is bound to intervene and exercise its unassailable constitutional power to secure bona fide justice to the victims. Unhesitatingly, our unbiased political intelligentsia, religious pundits etc should introspect and find an amicable solution to the issue to ensure rectitude to the sufferers within the framework of our Constitution.
T K M KUMBALAMCHUVATTIL,
Muvattupuzha, Kerala
Biased Practice
Parents spend lakhs of rupees to consummate their daughter’s marriage with the hope that her life would be happy. Sadly a single word thrice
pronounced, is enough to break the
marriage. This is nothing but cruelty perpetrated on women. Muslim clerics must revisit on the practice of triple talaq to ensure that men do not indulge in such discriminatory practices. The pronouncement of triple talaq in a fit of anger has the potential to destroy the life of a women, while men are bequeathed rights to marry four times. The Union Government has taken a correct stand by opposing in the Supreme Court the practice of triple talaq.
K V SEETHARAMAIAH, Hassan, Karnatka
Ball is in China’s Court
Beijing must not forget that India under Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru had championed the cause of Communist China before and after its emergence in 1949 for its membership of the UN Security Council and other crucial issues. It is also a fact that China betrayed India and invaded it in 1962. However we were large hearted enough to move on and try to cultivate friendly relations with China. Unfortunately, China’s opposition to India’s membership of the Nuclear Suppliers Group and its support to the Jaish-e-Mohammed chief Masood Azhar have proved that the Middle Kingdom’s hostility towards continues unabated. The ball is in China’s court. If it wants good neighbourly ties, it must review its anti- India approach. Otherwise there is no doubt that New Delhi will have to rethink its position in line with the feelings of outrage of its people against China’s recent unfriendly acts.
M RATAN, Via: Email        
Peaceful Way to Resolve Problems
The arson and rioting over the sharing of Cauvery waters has brought to light the short-sightedness of our
policy makers in bringing the
adjudication and arbitration efforts to fruition. It is unfortunate that an
inter-State water dispute that can at best be resolved through peaceful
dialogue, has been allowed to develop into a raging controversy. While the Union Government should be
applauded for making efforts to sort out the problem between the principal players through the institutional
mechanism of the Cauvery River Authority, it cannot escape the accusation of allowing the dispute to go unchecked leading to dangerous ramifications. Meanwhile the
governments of Karnataka and Tamil Nadu must stop using political pulpits to fan flames of hatred by indulging in parochial opportunism.
SHREYANA JAIN, Delhi