The people of Afghanistan need answers

The people of Afghanistan need answers

There seems to be no end to the death of civilians and soldiers in recent times (‘Suicide bombers disguised as soldiers’, Gulf News, April 23). The number of deaths reported in the recent attack on a military base in Afghanistan is not something that can be seen as an incident, but a gruesome attempt to target military personnel. With the number of casualties reaching 140, the shocking incident proves that security still needs to be beefed up in critical areas, including crowded civilian places in the already conflict-hit country. While it is not a matter of any groups claiming responsibility of such attacks, the administration is responsible to the public. Their freedom and rights to live is getting seriously affected.

The government’s effort to bring peace and stability is badly hit, as the country has been suffering from insurgency for decades, which eventually halted the nation’s development. The US-led coalition forces and Afghan government had been struggling to bring normalcy to the country, but the attack on the base is seen as a failure for all those initiatives in the recent past.

From Mr Ramachandran Nair

Oman

In the hands of voters

Though the New Delhi voters in India had voted for Arvind Kejriwal in 2015, that too with a thumping majority, he has totally failed to live up to their expectations (‘Kejriwal asked to quit if AAP fails to win’, Gulf News, April 23). To add to their woes, since his inception as Chief Minister, he has been on the warpath with the Delhi Lieutenant Governor and the Central Government. During his last two years tenure, he has been criticising them for all his failures and of late has been making negative and irresponsible comments about getting Dengue. All this is going to affect his chances of winning the municipal elections in Delhi. The recent survey, too, has given advantage to the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), which may elate them. At the same, there could be an incumbency draw back for the BJP and hence the survey could prove to be wrong and Congress could bounce back. It is going to be a real acid test for the Delhi voters to choose the better devil!

From Mr N. Viswanathan

Coimbatore, India

Finding a solution

India’s Supreme Court ruling that the BJP leaders L. K. Advani, Uma Bharti and Murli Manohar Joshi should face trial for razing the Babri mosque (‘BJP stalwarts to face trial over Babri mosque razing’, Gulf News, April 21) is commendable. The 16th century mosque was razed to ground on December 6, 1992 and this led to riots, which killed more than 2,000 people. Hindus claim the place where the mosque existed was the birth place of Ram and demanded for the construction of a temple. Since then this issue was used by the BJP as a political weapon to consolidate Hindu votes. Construction of both temple and mosque in the same place will be a solution and India’s highest court also suggested talks should take place between both the parties outside the court to reach a permanent solution. Let’s hope no more lives will be lost in the name of religion. India is well known for its secular values.

From Mr Eappen Elias

Dubai

The duty of the media

The farmers of Tamil Nadu, India were protesting for almost a month for their basic rights (‘Protesting farmers drink own urine’, Gulf News, April 23). No leader has ever made a promising visit, nor has the media paid enough attention. Many attempts were made by them to grab some attention by shaving heads and beards. Some even attempted suicide. But when a group of international models arrived, they immediately got space in the headlines.

Is the media able to realise its duty and access the quality of information that they are broadcasting? I do agree that the models have come to create some social awareness. It’s the responsibility of the government to look into the issues, but the media is the one solely responsible for caring forward these matters to the governments, as well as the public. Once the public becomes strongly aware of the issue, there can be tremendous results. This is where media comes into play.

From Ms Hema

Sharjah

Dangers at crossings

I had the same problem with a red light jumper the other day (‘Red light jumper jailed, then deported’, Gulf News, April 22). I was walking to cross the street at a pedestrian crossing and a car suddenly appeared, nearly hitting me. The man stopped inside the pedestrian lane and looked at me like I was the unaware one and like it was my mistake. He cursed me in his language and drove off, even though he knew that I was at a pedestrian crossing.

From Ms Sally Lavalle

Quezon, Philippines

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Stay safe

Pedestrians should wait for a car to stop or for the driver to give some sort of signal that it is safe to cross. Otherwise you are risking your live and troubling the drivers. They are human, too. One wrong move and wrong judgment can be a hazard for both. So wait a few seconds, look both ways and then cross if no one is approaching. Check and then cross, don’t get hurt.

From Mr Niaz Ka

UAE

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