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E-mail from readers the world over
Date sent: Fri, 22 May 1998 13:37:12 -0400 Conducting nuclear tests is very different from inducting nuclear weapons for security reasons. Conducting nuclear tests shall only enable us to use this newly acquired technology in reviewing our defence strategy. Moreover, opting for different technologies in making weapons for defence is independent of signing treaties and making friends with neighbours. They should not be inter-related. Even if we have signed treaties with all our neighbours not to engage in war, it does not mean that we stop upgrading our weapons for defence measures. Some of us haven't forgotten what happened in 1962. Sujai Karampuri
Date sent: Fri, 22 May 1998 12:08:50 -0700 (PDT) There are a lot of pertinent facts in the letter. Although the decision to conduct the test was a political one, it was nonetheless a bold step. Well, I have point to make on the 'Beggars Dream.' I don't think any political leader can provide reforms for the common masses. Over the last fifty years our leaders have portrayed qualities of greed, favoritism, corruption and what not. Not one of them has even cared to bother about the nation. Our country has been a " free for all affair." Look at the scandals our politicians are involved in -- Sukh Ram, Jayalalitha to name a few in the long and unending list. And they still go scot-free, and even have the audacity to speak about morals and ethics. Not one of them has introduced nor bothered to make an effort to introduce any reform, whatsoever. It is a pity that the poor in India will get poorer and continue to do so, as long as we have leaders who manipulate them and are only interested in achieving their own selfish interests. Ravi
Date sent: Fri, 22 May 1998 17:40:51 -0700 The decision to conduct nuclear tests is a political decision. The BJP has the will to take such decisions. The past few governments didn't. Indian scientists did not produce nuclear devices in just sixty days. The PM himself clarified it. And the whole country knows history. Is there anything new we should learn because it came out from your mouth? I am convinced that scientists at that time were not prepared as the country was facing many problems, including economic problems. Scientists knew that. They knew the weaknessess of the past governments. Do you know the year when the economic problems of India will be solved? Or, have you thought how other countries, including the USA, achieved their goal with all sorts of problems, including economic? I only prioritise the requirements of the country and the people. Good job. But, the present government has re-prioritised it. Don't take it too personally. 'Bahut hogaya ye "build consensus" natak. Vajpayeeji, please go ahead with your plans.' Such statements have only created more confusion in the minds of the Indian public as well as the international community. Please don't map your confusion to the whole world. It is very costly. Thank god, at least at present we have a leadership which is not confused. So, 50 per cent of the problem is solved. And the other 50 per cent is very easy to solve. Did that security situation change so suddenly within six weeks of your governance? Your government owes an answer to this question. How about thinking a little bit yourself, than expecting answers from the government. As a common Indian citizen (not X-PM), I feel that the morale of the military has been boosted, but the morale of a common Indian has touched its height. Question yourself, are you one of us? In the present day inter-dependent world ... 'Beggars Dream' is okay. Hand over at least 50 per cent of your son's and your assets in Bangalore to the poor people. Nagaraj Patil
Date sent: Fri, 22 May 1998 17:53:49 PDT The article by P Rajendran "The Uygur Factor" is an excellent blueprint by which India can play its cards vis-a-vis China. His strategy for supporting insurgents in Tibet and Xinjiang could easily be carried out either directly or indirectly by enlisting the unofficial support of neighbouring Central Asian and Asian states. Top priority should be accorded to supporting pro-democracy movements in Burma by arming rebel factions against the SLORC. Both India and Thailand (which have faced cross boarder attacks by the SLORC) have an interest in destroying its rule in that country, perhaps by the assassination of high ranking military and political figures of the SLORC. I am sure the US would be glad to hear of the elimination of one drug centre in the world. Perhaps the CIA might lend unofficial support for such a move as well. Please send my regards to the author of the article.
Date sent: Fri, 22 May 1998 00:20:45 -0600 Finally, a writer who is rational, and appears to understand the basics of strategic policy. Why is this guy not writing more often? He certainly is a welcome relief from the perpetual whining and wailing of the likes of Pritish Nandy, Saisuresh whatever, and D'Souza. Varsha has a lot of promise, does her homework well (which is more than I can say about many of your writers), but sometimes, I'm really not sure whose side she's on! Hopefully, this is a maturity issue, and will take care of itself. BTW, congratulations on your coverage of the nuclear explosions! It was timely, expansive, and quite comprehensive. I've been subscribing to India Today since I was in grade VIII, in Mumbai. I will NOT be renewing my subscription this year. With sites like Rediff, who needs them! Besides, there's no way I'm going to pay to read the likes of Mani Shankar Aiyar anyway....
Atul Varde
Date sent: Thu, 21 May 1998 22:28:14 -0700 It is quite unfortunate that you choose to write about India sponsoring terrorism abroad. We as a country are drunk with unnecessary pride with the explosion of nuclear weapons. We have to forget about theories on sponsoring terrorism abroad and concentrate on improving ties with neighbours more so with China. It is advisable to stop thinking about these kind of theories. Also, you must be aware what happened seven years back after we supported LTTE. Prasad
Date sent: Thu, 21 May 1998 15:56:17 -0700 The Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region is just across the Indian border. It would help to look at the current lines of control between India and Xinjiang and realise that the Karakoram pass, above 15k feet, is the only way to get across and has been closed for fifty years. Besides that land link runs directly across the Karakoram highway, heavily patrolled jointly by the Chinese and the Pakistanis. Sanjay
Date sent: Thu, 21 May 1998 15:00:10 -0700 Rajendran's strategy is immediately thrilling for we, at the receiving end for a long time, have got a chance to finger the antagonists. Also keeps Chinese attention diverted. While this may look like a good one from the Indian perspective, I am cynical about our tactical capability in these kinds of operations. This kind of strategies require the killer-attitude. If we look back, our history shows our "talk-loud-get-killed" attitude. Probably it's in the degenerated Indian psyche. We talked peace and ended up gifting some part of Kashmir to Pakistan. Nehru yelled Hindu-Chini bhai bhai and got stabbed in the stomach. Indira Gandhi encouraged Bhindranwale and faced the fatal consequences. Indira/Rajiv trained the LTTE and let them loose in Sri Lanka and we had the assassination of another PM. Daily hundreds were killed in Punjab and we were afraid to even say aloud the perpetrator's name in the international fora. Instead we said, "foreign hand." Aggression is not our cup of tea. Only prolonged suffering/elaborate planning or some momentary fancy motivates us to repel trouble makers. At least that's what has happened till now. In this context, while I am excited about the options Rajendran suggests, I am down right pessimistic if we will succeed with the current state of mind. By the current state of mind I mean that apart from conducting nuclear tests, this requires a lot of courage and a willingness to take some hard blows if the situation arises -- and never to give up. We are too weak for that. There are two challenges immediately in front of us. Our success in them will show if we can consider these options. The two challenges I see are: 1. On diplomatic lines, we should come out as a recognised nuclear state, with various sanctions removed at the earliest. We should achieve this without bending to the other nations and with minimal loss. 2. On the military front, we should suppress terrorism in J&K, the North-East and in various other states. Success in this will be an indicator of our capability to be strong or not. Then we can consider the above options. Till then, it is better that India continue diplomatic negotiations with China but yet be watchful. Ramprasad
Date sent: Thu, 21 May 1998 14:12:50 -0700 (PDT) Bravo P Rajendran on this beautiful article! Rajendran has touched upon an entirely new subject of giving tit for tat. I have to confess that I really didn't know anything about what states made China, except that the Han were the majority ethnic community. It comes as a surprise that there are suppressed ethnic groups within China, not just pro-democracy activists. As Rajendran says, we should definitely try to remain in peace with the neighbours, but if they keep fighting proxy wars to keep us distracted from achieving our economic goals, it is helpful to have in mind that we can answer them back in the same coin. Hope they realise that we too can play their game too. Rajendran, I'm watching out for your next article. More power to your pen! Das
Date sent: Thu, 21 May 1998 13:41:41 -0700 An assistant editor ought to be more responsible than what this article projects. Where on the earth did you get this idea that we should abet rebels in all those countries through militant aid? I'm not a Gandhian to show my other cheek when slapped one. But I have not demeaned myself to such a stage where I would like to see in another country what happened (is happening) in our Punjab or Kashmir. I think as an Indian, at least some morals are still left in me and I'm sure in many others too. As another author of an article rightly mentioned, 'It's easier for one to say things when it is not his brother or father that is killed and not mother or sister that is raped.' Everyday when we read atrocities in Punjab and Kashmir, I pray to god that no one should live to see another such incident and here you are sitting in your armchair in an air conditioned room encouraging India to give military aid to countries -- as a political ploy?? What in the hell are you thinking?? Kedar
Date sent: Thu, 21 May 1998 10:44:53 -0700 Very well said. But what's surprising is that the lessons here are so obvious that it is simply astonishing that India has not done what Rajendran says much earlier. Are we so dumb when it comes to military/national security tactics and strategy? Or, are we still being haunted by Gandhi's ghost?
Date sent: Thu, 21 May 1998 14:26:34 -0400 I totally agree with Chintamani Mahapatra's viewpoint, and how India is justified in having a nuclear deterrence capability. The article was well presented and the situation was analysed in depth. I have not read an article that is so balanced and critical on this matter since the nuclear detonations. Most of the reports that were published here in the US were very shallow and lacked a good understanding of the subject. The view points expressed by Chintamani which were so legitimate were never expressed in the Western media. The resultant uproar as a result of the nuclear tests and the consequent economic sanctions imposed by the western powers smacks of hypocrisy. But this is expected. The West has turned a blind eye to China's nuclear and missile technology proliferation issues. Their zest for grabbing the lucrative contracts in the vast Chinese market overlooking such issues as nuclear non-proliferation and human rights has severely compromised and undermined the West's credibility on nuclear non-proliferation issue as a whole. The defence minister's comments sometime back stating that China is the mother of the Ghauri missile is true. India cannot ignore nor undermine the threat posed by the Chinese contribution to Pakistani's nuclear capability as well as its missile technology. As Chinatamani pointed out, India does not have the security umbrella which the European countries, Israel and Japan have. India is compelled to have its own deterrence vis-a-vis with its neighbours with whom we have gone to war three times in the last four-and-a-half decades, not as an aggressor but in self defence. India's economy may be in a downslide at the moment. It can get no worse. The government should continue on its path of speedy economic reforms and try to invite as much foreign investment as it can. India has a huge middle class population -- almost 300 million strong with enormous buying power. I don't think the West can ignore the fact that India is an emerging economy with a vast market for Western goods and services. I hope the sanctions won't adversely affect the economy though some areas are bound to feel the pinch.
Shekar Mandala
Date sent: Thu, 21 May 1998 09:45:08 -0400 Brilliant!
Date sent: Thu, 21 May 1998 07:04:37 PDT I am surprised to see why Amberish K Diwanji and Prem Panicker are so much against India conducting a nuclear explosion! They're also talking like the Communist parties of India who have nothing to lose but their near irrelevance in the country. Deve Gowda, by becoming the first PM to criticise these tests, has proved he was a misfit for the prime minister and proved what Kesri called him was right. With people like these within the country to misuse any issue to their own political goals, Pakistan and China might as well stop their anti-India policies. Of course, many of us see that nuclear explosions will incur the wrath of Washington, but what else have we got from Washington anyway? Look at the fallout of the nuclear explosions conducted by India! 1. President Clinton and Democrats are being pulled up by both the US Congress houses for the funds collected from a Chinese general's daughter for their election campaign in exchange of crucial satellite and missile technology? 2. Russia, France and UK have firmly committed against imposing sanctions on India. 3. The INS of USA has increased the H1-B quota for technical professionals in just a week after the explosions! 4. Boeing has expressed concern that it might have to lay off people from jobs in USA if the Indian government cancels the deals for its aircrafts, and signs up deals with the French Airbus Industries! 5. Not only does imposing sanctions hurt US economy but may backfire at them internationally. The Indian government also has prepared a list of counter measures to tackle Washington's sanctions (giving them a taste of their own medicine). And this is just the beginning... Plus some important unanswered questions in this regard: 1. Who are the US media and US politicians listening to? Gohar Ayub Khan? The ousted foreign minister of Pakistan who is a temporary minister anyway and always has contradicted what the Pakistani Prime Minister says? 2. As far as the Japanese sanctions are concerned, why did USA drop bombs on the Japanese during World War even though the scum of humanity was in Germany? They would rather test these weapons on some Asian land rather than Europeans, obviously. 3. Why was US hesitant to take actions against Pakistan and only imposed sanctions on Khan laboratories when Pakistan went ahead and named their missile 'Ghauri' after the man who had a reputation for beheading Hindus? 4. No columnist anywhere is bothered to look into the fact that a huge haul of Chinese weapons was made in the Andamans, meant for terrorist elements in South India. So all you Pritish Nandy-style-article-writers, please do some home work before simply blasting out like Indian Opposition parties. Anamika
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