U.S. double standards

THIS has reference to the thought-provoking essay "The imperial nuclear order" on the possibility of a nuclear strike by the United States against Iran (May 19). Every year the U.S. Congress allocates millions of dollars for nuclear and conventional weapons research. What moral right does it have to object to other nations developing nuclear weapons and that too for self-defence? If the U.S., Russia, China, even India and Pakistan can become nuclear powers, why cannot Iran?

K.P. RajanMumbai

Nepal

THE Cover Story article "The making of a democracy" (May 19) offered a possible road-map for transition to democracy in Nepal. The role played by Communist Party of India (Marxist) leader Sitaram Yechury in uniting the political forces and the efforts to bring the Maoists into the political mainstream, along with journalistic contributions such as this article, would be of historic significance.

Kasim SaitChennai

MOMENTOUS developments have taken place in Nepal. The people's upsurge that culminated in the process of restoration of democracy in the country was truly massive. As the Nepali people, the Seven Party Alliance and the Maoists begin to address the tasks at hand, they will have to watch out for attempts to sabotage the democratic process. One must remember that twice, in 1951 and 1990, the Nepali people were left high and dry after solemn promises of a Constituent Assembly.

S. SathiyamoorthyNagpur

J&K

THE article "Terror in the mountains" (May 19) provides some insights into the situation in Jammu and Kashmir. However, I strongly disagree with the observation that the claim that killings of civilians have been engineered by Indian Forces is baseless. I would like to draw your attention to the latest CBI findings about the `massacre of 36 innocent Sikhs on March 21, 2000, in south Kashmir. The CBI has indicted Army officers ranging from the ranks of Subedar to Brigadier.

Sakib MehrajSrinagar

Taliban

THE Taliban thugs have done it again ("Killed in cold blood", May 19). The killing of Suryanarayana is a grim reminder of the Taliban menace. The forces supporting the Taliban should be exposed. Afghanistan's reconstruction cannot proceed undisturbed as long as terrorists such as the Taliban are active. The Indian government will have to ensure better security for its nationals working there. It is necessary to pursue and punish Suryanarayana's killers.

A. MeghaHyderabad

Fraud exposed

WITH the change of guard at the Securities and Exchange Board of India, the Market Participant's and Investor's Identification Number (MAPIN) was put in cold storage ("A fraud exposed", May 19). While it is true that the response to MAPIN was very poor and only 300,000 out of 70 hundred thousand demat-account holders applied for the MAPIN until November 2003, the reason why MAPIN was introduced was justified.

A committee under former Deputy Governor of the RBI, Jagdish Capoor, was appointed to examine afresh the objections raised about fingerprinting and so on. This delayed the implementation of MAPIN. There are more bogus ration cards than bogus passports only because of stricter scrutiny in the case of the latter. This logic is also applicable to PAN and MAPIN. The Income-Tax Department has detected many duplicate and bogus PAN cards. SEBI must impound all shares fraudulently obtained and send a strong message to investors and the banks that they will have to pay a heavy price for violating rules

M.M. GurbaxaniBangalore

Vadodara

WHAT happened in Vadodara was tragic ("Killing zeal", May 19). Reports of such callousness on the part of the Gujarat government shake one's faith in the secular fabric of the country.

Dr. Vitull K. GuptaBhatinda, Punjab

THE demolition drive in Vadodara was not an anti-Muslim move as it has been made out to be. The municipal corporation was forced to act on the basis of a Gujarat High Court order that wanted the removal of all illegal structures on public land, including 12,000 alleged temples and 269 so-called Islamic shrines.

J. AkshobhyaMysore

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