Resolving the Kashmir Imbroglio

Even as the clueless Manmohan Singh government refuses to concede that it has failed in its primary duty to maintain law and order in the country, the only sensible reaction to the relentless violence in Kashmir has come from Maninderjeet Singh Bitta, chairman of the All-India Anti-Terrorist Front (AIATF), and former chief of the Youth Congress.

In his statement Bitta has:

• opposed a special package as that would amount to conceding victory to militants
• asked for abrogation of Article 370, which confers special status on Jammu and Kashmir
• felt that governments were more worried about rehabilitating the militants than providing relief to the Kashmiri pandits
• disapproved of the India-Pakistan talks, and
• urged government to press USA, UK and Russia to declare Pakistan a terrorist state

It is rare that we see such sensible suggestions from either intellectuals or politicians, big or small. The fate of Kashmir problem is sealed with Article 370. No lasting peace in Kashmir is possible until Article 370 is abolished. The earlier India develops gumption to accept this fact, more likely Kashmir issue will be solved, and lasting peace be established.

An appeal to stay calm

The most ridiculous reaction to (probably the first) bomb blast in Pune was from Pune's Congress MP Suresh Kalamadi, who "appealed to the people of Pune to be calm". India's problem is not that people become agitated by terrorism. Our problem is that ordinary citizens care less about terrorism. "It is neighbour's daughter, who died in the terrorist attack, not mine. Thank God! Now, let me get back to what I was doing" - that's the kind of attitude most Indians show towards terrorism. They are too busy on their jobs and their shopping that they neither have any time nor do they care for anything else.

We don't need people to remain calm. We need people to raise in rage against those people who are condoning and abetting terrorism. We must stop electing (and re-electing) politicians and political parties who overlook or tacitly support terrorism. Newspapers (such as Times of India) who create sympathy for terrorists and terrorism-sponsoring Pakistan should be burned. And we need to slap the so-called celebrities who have more sympathy for Pakistanis than for Indian victims of terrorism.

What should be our response to Mumbai attacks - An excellent viewpoint

An excellent article on responding to terrorist attacks emanating from Pakistan. Thank you Jeffrey for sending this!

There are many (bitter) truths in this article. The words that I liked the most are:

... We should recognise that it is our war and nobody in the world is going to wage it on our behalf. What the Americans are thinking, or what the Britishers are going to do will not help. A determined country should have a sense of dignity and independence to fight its war.

A billion appeals to the rest of the world to brand Pakistan a terrorist state will not yield any fruit until we don't start treating it the way a terrorist state has to be dealt with.

Not just Shivaraj, the entire government has to go!

The attitude of Congress governments in Centre and the states, towards Islamic terrorism in India, can be summed up in one statement made by R.R. Patil - "baDe shahron mein aise ek aadh haadse hote rahte hain". It seemed as if he was speaking on behalf of Congressmen and all other 'secular' politicians in our country.

One of the first decisions taken by UPA government when it came to power was to abrogate POTA. Ever since terrorists have had a field day. Islamic terrorism has spread to all over the country. They have struck every state barbarously and with shocking audacity. And the governments are in deep slumber, dreaming of their Muslim vote bank. It doesn't matter how many innocent lives are lost. These are just minor irritations, as R.R. Patil explains us, in their journey towards power.

It is more than two years that Supreme Court of India convicted Afzal Guru, who was involved in attacks on the Parliament. The government has done it best to stop his execution, despite public opinion to the contrary. Soon after the grieving for the victims of Mumbai terrorist attacks is over, we will the media and politicians displaying their sympathy for Azam Amir Kasav, the lone terrorist captured alive.

This government is not a government of the people. It's a government of terrorists, working for terrorists. The earlier it goes, the safer will be our country.

Shock & condemnation not adequate reactions

Just expressing shock and condemning attacks is not adequate reaction to Islamic terrorist attacks in Mumbai. The government has to take tackle terrorism with seriousness and keep vote bank politics aside. Turning a blind eye to Islamic terrorism has allowed it to grow beyond any imaginable limit.

Oridinary citizens should not tolerate government ineptitude. We have to react strongly against this useless government that has not done anything to contain terrorism.