Without pardon

Sir ? The entire Sarabjeet Singh episode is a political stunt which is proceeding according to a prearranged script on both sides of the border. Whether the man is guilty or not (is it possible to believe the Pakistanis are so incompetent as to try a man without ascertaining his identity?), he will be granted reprieve by Pervez Musharraf as a ?goodwill gesture? after the Indian politicians have done their bit by ?appealing? to him. Emotions have been suitably stirred up, which suits everyone fine. Any thoughts of this charade being otherwise should be banished.

Yours faithfully,
Biswapriya Purkayastha, Shillong

Striking distance

Sir ? The new anti-hijacking policy of the United Progressive Alliance is welcome and will go a long way in preventing terrorist strikes (?Hijack in line of fire?, Aug 15). Sometimes the only option left for the government is to shoot down a hijacked plane, even one carrying hundreds of innocent people, before it hits its target. This is the only way the lives of thousands of others can be saved. However, it is necessary to be certain of the seriousness of the threat first. By putting in place this tough policy, India will be able to fight airborne terrorism and join hands with the United States of America, the United Kingdom, France and others in tightening the noose around the necks of militants.

Yours faithfully,
V. Krishnakumar, New Delhi

Sir ? The new policy on hijacking is a good strategy to fight such crimes. India?s bitter experience with the infamous IC-814 must have laid the groundwork for it. The most practical part of the policy concerns preventing a hijacked plane from taking off from Indian soil. It is also good to see the opposition support the move. Now that India has a policy in common with some of the major Western nations, it should probably remind the US of the way it evaded its responsibility to offer help during the IC-814 hijack. If the US now wishes other nations to follow its policies against terrorism, it should consider itself under an obligation to help them during such times of need.

Yours faithfully,
Madhu Agrawal, Dariba, Delhi

Sir ? It is ridiculous to think that in a rerun of 9/11, there could be similar terrorist attacks on the Rashtrapati Bhavan or the parliament from the air. Even during the attack on parliament some years back, it is doubtful if the terrorists actually intended to kill the members of the house. And if either the Rashtrapati Bhavan or the parliament is threatened again, one wonders if it is sufficient reason to gun down a plane full of innocent people. As for the famous hijack of IC-814, there was enough time for a solution to be worked out. India just took the easy way out by trading passengers for dreaded terrorists.

Yours faithfully,
Shiv Shanker Almal, Calcutta

Sir ? For once, we must congratulate the government for its bold initiative. The next step would be to acknowledge that terrorists can never be reformed ? once a terrorist, always a terrorist. So instead of trying to catch them and produce them in law courts ? at the cost of the taxpayer ? the government should eliminate each one since as long as he lives, he will remain a threat to the lives of others.

Yours faithfully,
Mahesh Kumar, New Delhi

Sir ? If a minister or a top politician or any of their kin is on a hijacked plane, will the plane still be ordered to be shot down? From the way things are in India, it seems that the proposed action will be applicable only when an aeroplane has lesser mortals on board.

Yours faithfully,
Jang Bahadur Singh, Jamshedpur