Editor,
This refers to your editorial, “Terror attack” (ST, July 13, 2017). We must condemn with one voice all cowards, fanatic terror brigades – be it ISIS/ Taliban terror brigades or Gau Rakshak terror brigades. These regressive agents masquerading as religious forces want to pull us back to the dark medieval ages. Both ISIS/ Taliban and Gau Rakshaks are the two sides of the same coin. These cowards are on the prowl to find soft targets to lynch humanity. Indeed, they want to replace democracy by mob rule and humanism by cannibalism. We should have zero tolerance towards such intolerant forces.
Yours etc.,
Sujit De,
Kolkata
The Amarnath tragedy
Editor,
After 16 long years a deadly terror attack on Amarnath pilgrims on Monday has clearly shown the recklessness of Laskhar-e-Taiba which will not spare even the pilgrims from its vicious attack. Seven of the pilgrims died in the attack as the hospital sources informed and over nineteen pilgrims who were injured were hospitalized. Many people and news channels have made the driver of the bus a hero as he drove amidst the gun shots and safely got over the grave danger. But the logical question arises as to why the bus was carrying pilgrims without having any Shri Amarnath Shrine board and violating the rule of not travelling on the Yatra on the Srinagar – Jammu highway after 7 pm. It’s obviously a security failure on the part of India and our inefficacy against Pakistani’s aggression but we should also be more careful about observing the rules laid out for all pilgrims. Had the driver not violated the rules and driven after the scheduled timing perhaps all the pilgrims would have been saved.
Yours etc.,
Sanjukta Maiti,
Shillong – 6
Iran-Turkey nexus impossible
Editor,
The world media has been speculating that two non-Arab Islamic nations, Iran and Turkey are coming together to forge an alliance against the West and the Arab Union of the Middle East and North Africa. However, I don’t agree that Iran and Turkey can ever come together. The greatest problem with any Islamic nation is their extreme, right wing politics, narrow vision and disruptive diplomatic association with one another. None of these nations actually trust the other in the real sense and this has been a historic crisis that cannot be overcome over few recent incidences. Both are ruled by extreme hardliner governments that make strategic, diplomatic as well as meaningful, long term socio-economic associations impossible. Currently both nations are extremely vulnerable to extremist ideology. Turkey does not have strong support of the West any longer and there is strong distrust, disgust and dislike about Erdogan Government by all nations on either side of the Atlantic representing NATO alliance including the Pacific nations. The relation between US and Turkey is now mostly superficial, and the US-Iran ties are absolutely strained. The best alliance that can jump out of this muddy water is actually China-Pakistan-Turkey nexus to counter US-Israel-India tripartite global alliance. A destructive and assertive China is looking for hoodlums and goons among nations for her own hidden agenda of establishing global hegemony and who can be her best ill- earned partners than N. Korea, Pakistan and Turkey under the current global scenarios. All these nations are cash starved and has very little opportunity for any meaningful financial investments in the distant future and are partially immersed in concealed civil wars within the nation, proxy wars with adjacent neighbors, satellite wars overseas and/or impacted by various forms of violent insurgent movements that hinder socio-economic development.
China, the “global bully” has been historically known to support such miscreant nations for her own benefit and then transforming them into overseas colonies and satellite nations to flex her concealed arms. Turkey and Iran both aspire to lead the entire Islamic world and there cannot be two dominant tigers living in the same forest. Hence a meaningful alliance between the two nations is a distant dream. It is also difficult for Iran to join the China nexus as Iran herself is extremely suspicious of Chinese and Pakistani activities adjacent to her borders and with a strong Shia-Sunni based hatred existing in Pakistan, there has been historic animosity between Iran and Pakistan in sharing a common platform. Further, both Iran and Turkey are extremely nationalistic in their outlook, making it difficult for them to engage in the same depth and dimension as India and Israel.
Yours etc.,
Saikat Kumar Basu
Lethbridge AB Canada T1J 4B3