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E-mail from readers the world over
Date sent: Thu, 28 May 1998 11:23:53 -0700 Not much of a surprise since Pakistan always follows India, when it comes to military aspects. The significance of all these recent nuclear tests by India and Pakistan have raised an important point that it is time developed nations respect, and try to work in co-operation with underdeveloped nations rather than carrying their own agenda. This is a potential problem brewing and if the western world has any intentions of providing safety to the citizens of the world, then they better start thinking about destroying all existing weapons of mass destruction. You can't have different rules for different teams in the same game. In the present day society sanctions would mean nothing.
Venkat
Date sent: Thu, 28 May 1998 11:16:42 -0700 If anybody should be happy about nuclear detonation by Pakistan it is India. Actually Indian leadership can now relax, they could provoke Pakistan to do it, it's a diplomatic victory for India. Sanctions will screw Pakistan like hell, while India's support in the world arena will increase. Though Pak didn't spell a word about what process they used and into what categories the test fall, but even if they were not sophisticated, I am sure like India, the reaction of the world will be a worse nightmare for Pak. The reason is very simple: India is very strong to sustain it, but Pak economy will totally crumble down in this race. They have to pay a very high price for the China made so-called Islamic Bomb. Sunil Ganu
Date sent: Thu, 28 May 1998 10:25:49 -0500 I wrote earlier in the same reference, but it did not appeal to you. Once again I'm going to say the same thing. Now that Pak has conducted N-tests, we all the know the fallout that Pakistan, unlike India, is heavily dependent on international assistance and loans. Sanctions are bound to seriously hurt an economy already struggling to survive. It is said by many economists that Pak may be forced to default on its $ 800 million debt payment due at the end of June. At the same time India can survive the economic sanctions. When Pak military junta is faced with public outcry and chaos, what are the options they have?? If history is any indicator, Pakistan's tendency will be to create a war euphoria to divert attention. India being superior in a long drawn war, makes Pakistan very risky in terms of using a N-bomb. Questions to ponder is ... what if the above said prophecy becomes a fact? Will Pakistan use the nuclear option? If it does so, how will India react to that? Rest is left to our imaginations only to cause a case of nuclear holocaust, we won't be there to witness it... Sanjay Dubey
Date sent: Thu, 28 May 1998 11:43:40 -0400 I think there was no necessity for Pakistan to test the nukes because China and US have already tested it. And Pakis will CHECK anything before buying it. So what for the DRAMA to test the nukes? Now it is to see whether these nukes are a real threat to India or Israel? Because anyway the new, pirated product will be called the ISLAMIC BOMB only!! Sudarshan Deshpande
Date sent: Thu, 28 May 1998 09:31:22 -0500 Well done Pakistan. Welcome to the "Beggars with Daggers" club.
Date sent: Thu, 28 May 1998 22:07:09 +0100 What is the world coming to? Everybody has gone nuts!!! One should surpass each other in technology that can improve our living. The killer instinct in the hearts of the people should be removed completely. Make the world a better place for you and for me .... these words should be deeply rooted in everybody's mind. Why should people show their strength in terms of a nuclear power -- the dreaded thing that can wipe the entire world away. Sriram C S
Date sent: Thu, 28 May 1998 15:07:47 -0700 I strongly suspect that four out of five of the tested devices are desi Diwali crackers type. They just are pretending. Otherwise when they go to the extent of saying that we "settled scores 5 to 5," why don't they announce that they matched us in the types of devices that we tested. Intelligence experts are soon going to unearth this fact to the embarrassment of Pakistan. There is no reason to suddenly panic if Pakistan tested the devices. It's a mere public rhetoric to pacify the overzealous Pakistani masala crowd. They have some mediocre nuclear capability and that's it. We knew this before hand anyway. BJP should continue its aggressive approach and see that Pakistan doesn't start becoming overconfident. The way it is reacting now must be appreciated. Left parties should be whipped with a hunter and let them pray for butter and lotions from their friend China. Hope they will get it because they have lost their funds from it anyway. Sonia, Mulayam are part of factional politics and criticising. So fellow Indians!!! My advise is: "there is no cause for heartburn" or sudden change of track. Keep going. Ramprasad
Date sent: Fri, 29 May 1998 00:17:43 PDT NO ONE KNOWS ABOUT THE SOUTH ASIAN NUCLEAR HOLOCAUST THAN YOU. YOU ARE THE FOLKS WHO INFORM THE WORLD. OUR LEADERS WILL TELL ANY LIE TO CREATE A MAKE BELIEVE WORLD FOR THEIR VESTED INTERESTS. A WORLD THAT WILL TEACH US TO HATE, DISTRUST AND DISRESPECT EACH OTHER. THIS IS MOST EVIDENT BY THE VOLUMINOUS VENOM THAT IS BEING HEAPED AGAINST EACH OTHER BY FANATIC INDIANS AND PAKISTANI'S ALIKE ON THE MESSAGE BOARDS. WE ARE INVENTING NEW WAYS TO DESTROY EACH OTHER. THAT TOO AT THE COST OF SEVERAL NEEDY INNOCENTS, WHILE OUR LEADERS TAKE SHELTER IN AIRCONDITONED NUKE PROOF CHAMBERS. INDIA'S REAL ENEMY IS NOT PAKISTAN AND PAKISTAN'S ENEMY IS NOT INDIA. WE THE PEOPLE ARE OUR OWN BIGGEST ENEMIES. WE NEED TO STOP ANNIHILATING OURSELVES. WE HAVE HAD ENOUGH OF THIS EGO-GRATIFYING EXALTATIONS AND JINGOISTIC NATIONALISM. YOU GUYS ARE THE MEDIA. YOU CAN MAKE A VOICE HEARD BY ONE AND ALL. THE PROBLEM RIGHT NOW IS WE HAVE A ZEALOUS MINORITY DECIDING WHAT IS RIGHT FOR MAJORITIES. IF THE RIGHT CONCERNS AND DESIRES ARE VOICED, THEN FOR SURE OUR LEADERS HAVE TO FOLLOW SUIT. I AM AN INDIAN. I HAVE NOTHING AGAINST THE PAKISTANIS AND I WANT TO START AN INDO-PAK FRIENDSHIP COUNCIL. THOSE INTERESTED MAY CONTACT ME, VAMSI AYYAGARI AT VAM420@HOTMAIL.COM. ON THE INTERNET, THERE ARE A FEW WHO WILL PAY HEED. BUT IF YOU FOLKS DESIRE, THERE WILL BE MILLIONS WHO CAN BE REACHED. AND WE CAN GIVE REAL PEACE AN EVERLASTING CHANCE. THE PROBLEM WITH OUR NATIONS LIES NOT SO MUCH IN THE FACT THAT THEY CAN BE SOLVED AS WE LACK THE WILL TO SOLVE THEM.
Date sent: Thu, 28 May 1998 21:03:39 -0400 Well, are you happy now? It is spineless politicians like you which cost us the lives of numerous brave jawans in the war against China in 1962 and in the proxy war against Pakistan in Kashmir for the last 51 years. Do you seriously believe that Pakistan, having covertly acquired the wherewithal to detonate a nuclear device would have voluntarily resisted the temptation to test for a long time. India's nuclear test were not the reason nor Advani's statement the provocation for Pakistan's nuclear test. In fact, with a bold and far sighted geo-political strategy, the Indian government which for once has at least a few leaders who place India's sovereignty over petty politics, has pre-empted Pak-Chinese designs in the region. It is time that the Indian electorate takes these perverted politicians who are more concerned with the BJP gaining well deserved respect -- that with the nation's genuine security concerns to task and reject them in the next elections. An Indian (not necessarily a BJP member)
Date sent: Thu, 28 May 1998 11:56:38 -0400 India successfully dragged Pakistan towards economic disaster. The trap is complete. However, it is no time to laugh at the economic problems Pakistan will face, since we are not far behind in that direction if we do not take the right course. We can now think of no war or invasion from Pakistan or China for the next 20 years. We should use this forced peace to continue on the path of the development of the nation. If we have to crumble Pakistan under its own debt load and heavy imports, we have to continue the arms race. It is the same what the USA did with Russia. No wonder Russia could cope with the huge expenditure required for the Star Wars Programme. When Advani said Pakistan's actions will be responded in the proactive way. They felt we are going to attack Pak nuclear installations. So far Pakistan has shown the will to match India's strength. We acknowledge that strength but it does not make us fear them any more.
Date sent: Fri, 29 May 1998 03:01:31 -0700 Are these people trying to work out enough hysteria for a nuclear war or what? I think the Indian government wasted two weeks of tension that was created within Pakistan. It should have used this period to at least destroy the training camps for terrorists on Pakistani soil. Srinivas Murthy
Date sent: Thu, 28 May 1998 15:17:55 +0900 Good points on a Ghauri Strike. Now that Pakistan knows that India also has the capability, the probability of a Ghauri strike has substantially reduced. Can you imagine the probability of Pakistan controlling India with their Ghauri and the nuclear capability if they assumed that India had only a 1974 version of the bomb?
Date sent: Thu, 28 May 1998 14:16:55 -0700 Can Ghauri really carry a megaton nuclear bomb? As I understand the maximum weight of the payload can be around 1 ton. What will be the yield of the 1 ton A Bomb?
Date sent: Thu, 28 May 1998 16:29:23 -0500 I urge the authors of this article Mr Aniruddha Bahal and Mr Krishna Prasad to do a similar bit of research along with their friends in Pakistan or other sources, and present a detailed scenario of the flight of Agni with a nuclear warhead from say Pokhran to Islamabad. Such articles posted on the net tend to aggravate the already hostile situation and are absolutely unwelcome. Vinay Avasthi
Date sent: 28 May 1998 17:42 EDT It is very surprising to see that the US is asking India to cut down on ballistic missile development. Wait a minute, why don't they tell India where to bend over. I believe the true issue is sovereignity here. As long as there is a single country that can threaten India and get away with whatever it wants, India is not safe. India should have its ICBMs and nuclear tipped missiles for the simple reason that it doesn't have it yet. For the sake of 3 billion dollars Rubin wants India to roll over and play dead. India has so much money locked in provident fund and LIC money which can be directed to support the infrastructure products. I am not sure that anybody including Indians believe that they have any self respect at all these days. What are the projects they are talking about? Infrastructure and power with the help of investments from abroad. Sure India wants it but not at the cost of its right to exercise its will. None of these projects are going to alleviate Indias problems per se. Unless the country has reforms in its internal resource allocation, the country is going to move nowhere whether there is foreign investments or not. Nobody is giving anything for free. The World Bank expects to make a profit on its loans -- sure we are not getting the 3 billion dollars for free, are we? Why don't they try and lend the money somewhere else? Why doesn't India command US to drop its nuclear missiles and ICBMs today? Sounds ridiculous, well this is not different from what the US is stating today. As long as there is a single nation that has the power to strike India and get away with it there is neither security nor the power for India to go with its policies. The US and EU is not worried about India-Pak-China conflict, they are worried about India acquiring the power to strike back and inflict damage in EU and US if they try to do the same to India. They already have one country that forces them to negotiate instead of surrendering to threats like China. Here is an hypothetical scenario featuring India -- where India runs over Afghanistan one day because it fears the Taliban is supplying a lot of militants into the Kashmir valley. What makes you think the US will not bomb the hell out of India? There is no denying that the US is the greatest democracy that has ever been, but it also has been the greatest bully ever in the history of the world. Arrogance combined with a sense of racial superiority is always a dangerous combination for a country or a person towards which it is directed. Case in point is Iraq. The US and EU will definitely prevent countries from acquiring ballistic missiles as long as they develop a good mechanism against it because it is in their best interest to do so. Unless you have strategic weapons that can really hurt the US or EU or any country that will meddle with India's policies, the chances are that you will be bombed to hell in the name of world peace. Why doesn't the US bomb China for taking over Tibet? China will take over Taiwan as easily in ten to fifteen years time. China doesn't do so now because it helps China to keep Taiwan where it wants to be. Taiwan is going to be China's ultimate coup with the EU and US drooling over for any bits China is willing to offer. The point is to make the world equally afraid of thinking about attacking India. People negotiate when you have a big stick. Economic growth is important as much as a country's security. History has taught India quite a lesson about not having security with economic prosperity. Indian politicians should talk less and let the scientists do what they are good at. May be our scientists are good only in building missiles, if so, so be it. Every time India had an opportunity in the past to take a stance about an issue, it blew it by refraining from action and sticking to tonnes and tonnes of empty speech. We again have an opportunity now to take a stand, I believe that India will manage to take a position -- one that will both be diplomatic and not hinder whatever plans it has for itself and its security. Nagaraj
Date sent: Thu, 28 May 1998 12:47:22 -0400 Really informative. Rajesh Menon
Date sent: Thu, 28 May 1998 16:38:47 -0400 Thanks a lot for letting us know the life and work of a thief from Pakistan.
L Suresh Kumar
Date sent: Thu, 28 May 1998 16:20:05 -0500 Why did the Indian people vote for the BJP? I can understand we need security but we do not need nukes, do they even know the consequences of a nuclear war? There may be no war but what about nuclear waste and hazards to the environment? They can't even keep the streets clean or prevent people from defecating on the road (a visit to Dharavi would enlighten all), so what are they going to do with the waste, even the US odes not know how to solve this problem? Maybe they can build the temple at Ayodhya with this waste. Mansie Iyer How Readers responded to Ashwin Mahesh's recent columns
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