Letters to THE EDITOR: Pakistan to walk its talk on peace with India

Pakistan to walk its talk on peace with India

The Indian government unilaterally suspended combat operations against terrorists across Jammu and Kashmir during the month of Ramzan. However, subsequent reports revealed that the move had no meaningful impact in bringing down terror-related violence. It may be mentioned here that during those days (from May 19 to June 7, 2018), militants killed more than three dozen people and injured more than 24 people. Cross-border infiltration from Pakistan also did not abate with the Army killing three terrorist infiltrators in Kupwara district on June 6, 2018.

And therein lies the problem. The situation in Kashmir cannot be fully normal unless Pakistan stops sheltering anti-India terrorists. After months of heavy exchanges of firing between the two sides at the border, DGMOs of the two militaries recently agreed to adhere to the 2003 ceasefire. But even that understanding is yet to fully take hold on the ground. The Pakistani Army recently stated that there is no space for war with India given the fact that the two countries are nuclear powers. But Rawalpindi GHQ is yet to overcome its obsession with India as its strategic enemy.

A litmus test would be to prod the Hurriyat to take up New Delhi's offer of talks. After all, any political solution to the Kashmir imbroglio has to come through dialogue. And for parleys to be successful, the right atmosphere needs to be created. This is where Pakistan has to walk its talk on peace and silence its guns, enabling all parties to move forward to a final settlement on Kashmir.

Satish Kumar Sarma,

Kalyanpur, Biswanath Chariali.

A Tale of a travel

It is not a tale of a travel to a picnic spot or to a place of tourist interest or of a perilous journey.

It is a tale pertaining to a usual travel in a city bus on the Panjabari-Jalukbari route. The bus that I got into at the Khanapara training centre stop with my destination to Panbazar was jam-packed with commuters. The two front seats of the bus reserved for the senior citizens were already occupied by two young boys of age between 25-30 years.

I, an old man of 88, had hardly any jaw to approach them with the request to spare one seat for me as the seats were found to be exclusively reserved for senior citizens. Instead of complying gracefully to my request, one of the occupants asked me the criteria of being a senior citizen. Soon after hearing my reply, he claimed that both of them were of age above sixty and so were occupying those seats. The manner in which the reply was made left me dumb-struck.

It is of utmost necessity that such situations do not happen in the public transport system. The elderly people or the senior citizens must be accorded due respect. The younger generation must also adapt themselves to the laws of the land. Only then would the aged people like us not be destined to face unwanted hassle and humiliation in the city busses.

Sarat Chandra Saikia,

Khanapara,

Guwahati-78 1022.