MyVoice: Views of our readers 23rd August 2021

Taliban make their intentions clear

While reports of 150 Indians intercepted on way to airport by Taliban triggered fear and anxiety is indisputable, it has revealed the truth that not only moderate Taliban is a 'smokescreen' but also a far cry. In fact, the questioning of abducted Indians made its intention clear that Indians are no longer wanted there even as the countdown begins to implement Shariat law in Afghanistan sooner by discarding democracy once and for all. There is not an iota of doubt that with the return of Taliban in Afghanistan and taking control of the country lock, stock and barrel, life is going to be intensely difficult not only for Afghans but also to foreign nationals.

K R Srinivasan, Secunderabad

II

About 150 Indian evacuees, on their way to the Hamid Karzai International Airport in Kabul, received a rude jolt when the Taliban took them away to an unknown location for questioning before being allowed to proceed. The incident came hours after an Indian Air Force transport aircraft evacuated another 85 Indian nationals from Kabul and flew them to Tajikistan. The Pentagon revealed the Taliban roughed up some of the US evacuees on their way to the airport. The Taliban's use of force can only earn it more adversaries and invite trouble.

N J Ravi Chander, Bengaluru

III

It is with some amount of trepidation that the world looks at the developments in Afghanistan. Religious fundamentalists become more dangerous when they come to wield political power or run a country. The scourge of fundamentalism is, however, not unique to any one religion. It is something that afflicts almost all religions. We must be opposed to fundamentalism of all religions in equal measure.

G David Milton, Maruthancode (TN)

Time to show our values, ethos

Gujarat Deputy CM Nitin Patel put his heart out in the open, at a gathering at Godhra last week, that we Indians need to preserve our culture and our ancient traditions so that we can show the world that our nation is a great example of a peace-living nation. His words have been not gone that much viral in these few days but whatever he has addressed in his speech is a very serious issue in terms of our culture, our tradition and Hindu Dharma. The present government at the Centre is not the favourite of many intellectuals as well as pro-Nehruism believers. These intellectuals practise secularism just to attack the Centre under any pretext, but the point is that our culture and our Dharma need more attention in these times as well as in future.

Sharadchandran S, New Delhi

Muslims too need uplift in TS

TS Chief Minister K Chandrashekar Rao launched Dalit Bandhu to empower the Dalit community, one of backward and suppressed communities. The Muslim community is also backward and, in fact, more backward than SC/ST communities. This was said by the Sudhir Commission set up by the Telangana government in 2015. The Commission had recommended 12 per cent reservation or a minimum of 9 per cent to the community in social and educational sectors. It also stated that 85 per cent of Muslims in the State were backward and had made 12 recommendations to uplift the Muslim community that constitutes nearly 14 per cent of the Telangana population. If not schemes like Dalit Bandhu, the government should at least fund schemes that were started earlier and give judicial status to Waqf Board to protect properties worth lakhs of crores across Telangana.

Aatir Mirza, Hyderabad

A welcome bid to resolve litigations

Setting up of International Arbitration and Mediation Centre to resolve legal disputes is a welcome move but the governments' aim should be to locate the root cause of such disputes and nip the same in the bud by taking remedial measures (Litigation costly and time consuming , CJI Ramana encourages arbitration, August 21). In any case, the growing number of litigation cases is not a good development for which our governments, society and education system need to take responsibility.

Kshirasagara Balaji Rao, Hyderabad

UN should initiate talks with Taliban

A United Nations committee should start a peace dialogue with Taliban at once and also monitor the evacuation of foreign nationals. Taliban can take care of the defence of Afghanistan, but not administration. It cannot indulge in senseless killings of any national. If they dislike foreigners, let them help evacuate foreigners. Why devilish killings? Let UNO frame a peace and development plan with a deadline for a stable Afghanistan. It should also monitor and counsel the Afghanistan-administration via internet and video conferences.

Nivriti Sreelekha PS, Secunderabad