No minor matter

Sir — It was shocking to learn that Shahbaz Bhatti, Pakistan’s minister for minorities, was killed in broad daylight on the streets of Islamabad (“Pak’s lone Christian minister killed,” March 3). Bhatti had been known to criticize Pakistan’s controversial blasphemy laws, which are widely regarded as anti-minority. Earlier, the governor of Pakistan’s Punjab province, Salman Taseer, had also been assassinated for criticizing the laws.

Minorities in Pakistan form just 5 per cent of the population today. Their numbers have steadily declined since 1947, when Pakistan became independent. The demographic changes indicate that minorities are not safe in Pakistan. Strangely enough, till date, neither the United Nations nor any other international organization has taken steps to address the plight of minorities in Pakistan. India, Pakistan’s neighbour and the world’s largest democracy, has also been silent on the subject.

Yours faithfully,
J.N. Mahanty, Puri

Sir — After the assassination of Shahbaz Bhatti, the lone Christian minister in the Pakistan cabinet, Pakistani citizens who claim to be rational and liberal must unite and take a stand against bigotry. It should not just be a fight to ensure that the law is enforced and the perpetrators of the crime are punished. It should be a battle against the very idea of blind compliance to religious diktats.

Yours faithfully,
N.K. Das Gupta, Calcutta

Sir — The senseless killing of Shahbaz Bhatti shows that the Pakistani government is helpless against the Taliban and other extremist organizations. Having given them free rein for so long, the government cannot contain them any longer. It now seems impossible for the country to return to normalcy.

The Vatican has rightly condemned the murder and demanded that the blasphemy laws be repealed. The Indian government might have its own reasons for not speaking out against the murder. However, it cannot remain indifferent — radical Islamic groups have repeatedly launched attacks in India as well.

Yours faithfully,
Harischandra Parshuram, Mumbai

Sir — Shahbaz Bhatti’s murder raises questions about how safe minorities are in the theocratic State. However, the international community cannot single out Pakistan; minorities in Islamic countries all over the world are not much better off. In countries governed by the guidelines of the Sharia, other religions are barely tolerated.

Yours faithfully,
Arun Malankar, Mumbai

Old hands

Sir — In his article “Dream teams” (Feb 26), Ramachandra Guha compares the great Indian cricketers of yesteryear with those whose careers began after India started playing one-day internationals. It is a praiseworthy effort, although he must have relied on statistics and, to some extent, on hearsay while putting together his team of “Golden Oldies”. Guha cannot have had the opportunity to watch legends like S. Mushtaq Ali and Mohammed Nissar play.

The inclusion of R.G. (Bapu) Nadkarni and the exclusion of Salim Durrani from the team of “oldies” must be contested. With all due respect to Bapu, who bowled a record of 21 successive maiden overs in a Test match against England in the 1960s, he was definitely a utility player.

Durrani, on the other hand, was a match-winner and an attacking batsman. People would come from great distances to watch him play. In one of his last overseas tours, Durrani led India to an important victory against the West Indies. He also scored a valuable 50 in the second Test against England in 1972. India won that match. There can be no doubt that Durrani was a genius. This fact has been acknowledged by many cricketers of his time.

Yours faithfully,
Subhro S. Chakrabarti, Calcutta

Sir — Ramachandra Guha’s article on cricketers past and present brought back fond memories of my childhood, when Test cricket was truly a gentleman’s game. ODIs were not known then, neither were Twenty20s. Cricket had yet not been tainted by the greed for money and power. I fully agree that the Fantasy Eleven, comprising the “oldies”, could have beaten the dream team of batsmen who have played ODIs. Moreover, they could have done this without many of the props of modern cricket, such as protection guards, helmets and mechanical decisions by the third umpire.

However, the presence of Budhi Kunderan in the Fantasy Eleven is questionable. He is included at the cost of my favourite player, Farokh Engineer. As a wicketkeeper, Engineer was one of the best in the world at the time. As a batsman, he scored an unforgettable 94 before lunch in a Test against the West Indies in 1966. Guha chose well with Polly Umrigar, playing at number four in the Fantasy Eleven. Known as the ‘Palm Tree hitter’, Umrigar was one of India’s most dependable batsmen. With the world cup still on and excitement running high, Guha’s article is a treat for the cricket lover.

Yours faithfully,
Bidyut Kumar Chatterjee, Faridabad