True sportsman

It’s rightly said that ‘T20 is a lottery’ (‘Not the end of the world’) as nothing is certain in cricket. India had never lost a T20 World Cup match to Pakistan before. Cricket being ‘a glorious game of uncertainties’, a loss on an off-colour day was possible and acceptable, too. India Captain Virat Kohli hugging Mohammad Rizwan, the architect of the Pakistan win, raised his stature as a gentleman-cricketer. The larger picture here is that people in both countries cherish high-octane India-Pakistan encounters in the cricket field. In fact, the bonhomie among players reflected the mood of the people towards one another as well. It was unfortunate, however, that the corporate-owned and saffron-controlled social media chose to single out India’s ace fast bowler, Mohammed Shami, for the loss, with online abuses.

Haridasan Rajan, Kerala

Action harsh

Registration of FIRs against students of medical colleges in Srinagar for celebrating the sPakistan cricket team’s victory is unnecessary and unwarranted. Police action is harsh. Instead of resorting to vindictive action, the administration should try to ascertain the reasons why the students raised slogans in favour of Pakistan. It is our duty to inculcate nationalistic feelings among youngsters. Students should not play into the hands of anti-national forces. They should organise blood donation camps in colleges to give a message to the terrorists that blood should flow in veins, and not in drains. Blood donation is the noblest way to strengthen communal harmony, secularism and national integration.

Ajay Bagga, Hoshiarpur

Not wrong to cheer

Three Kashmiri students at an engineering institute in Agra were suspended on a complaint to the police by the sBJP Yuva Morcha leaders that they were praising the performance of the Pakistan team on WhatsApp. What’s wrong with praising the performance of a better team that won the match? Even the Indian team captain congratulated the captain of Pakistan. We should take it in the spirit of sportsmanship. Why have we become so intolerant?

Bhupinder Kochhar, Panchkula

Punish traitors

Refer to ‘Navy Commander, 2 retd officers held for leaking sub info’; terror will never end because we are not only surrounded by enemies at the border, but also with enemies among us. They are enjoying all benefits in our country, but are compromising its interests. They should be given exemplary punishment. They are just eating us internally. For money, these traitors are selling our nation.

DOLLY PAL, CHANDIGARH

Talk to Kashmiris

Home Minister Amit Shah’s visit to J&K has taken place against the grim background of the killings of civilians. He highlighted the progress J&K has made since its reorganisation — jump in tourist inflow and the string of development and welfare projects. Whether or not politics in J&K has been any more or less corrupt than other parts of the country is anyone’s guess. The Centre has been successful in removing the question of independence or even autonomy from the conversation on Kashmir. But to pretend that there is no political question to be discussed or resolved is reckless. Now that the Centre has made the restoration of statehood as the endgame of an unclear political process, it must establish a mechanism for dialogue with the people.

VANDANA, CHANDIGARH

Price to pay

Apropos of ‘NCB’s credibility at stake’, political clout has long been known to seek compliance from law enforcement agencies for furthering party or personal agenda. It will be futile to estimate such misuse of power relative to any particular regime. But then, such obligations need to be repaid by the political class as the cost of compliance. As a fallout, we have seen many high-profile indiscretions coming to light. Misuse of systems should be considered far more lethal and deep rooted than, say, financial misappropriation. The common man ultimately pays the price for the insensitivity that then permeates through every system of governance.

R Narayanan, Navi Mumbai

NCB mess

Democracy can maintain its vibrancy only when law enforcing agencies and important institutions refuse to be used as tools by the powers that be, and have the guts to defy the wrong orders of the ruling dispensation which are generally given to stifle the voice of political adversaries and dissenters. The allegations against NCB Zonal Director are of a very serious nature and must be probed. If an officer is under fire, the government should ask the vigilance department to investigate the matter. When an officer plays a partisan role, only then does the government come to his rescue.

Roshan Lal Goel, Ladwa

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