This refers to the opinion “Pangs of Partition: Facing the reality of Pakistan” (May 26).
The topic of the column immediately attracted my attention and I found myself in full agreement with the writer. This is the reality and only a few are willing to face it. My parents also migrated from India during my father’s life time. I tried to convince him that the partition was not necessary and that it was only a political game of the great British rulers but my father was never convinced.
We indeed are victims of this great, deadly drama. Even before the British era, the Hindus, the Muslims and the Sikhs, all lived together in harmony. The writer has used the most suitable words to express the reality. (Muneer Ahmed, By e-mail)
Presidential elections in Egypt
This is in response to the report “Egypt vote upsets revolutionaries” (May 27). How is it that the election results have upset the revolutionaries when they themselves have exercised their franchise in favor of Mohamed Mursi? It rather upsets the media, which has vested interests. Egypt is in need of a clean, ethical governance to lift the country from its present status, which is why they have chosen the Muslim Brotherhood as an alternative. We hope the new president will give better alternatives as per the aspiration of the people’s mandate. (Nazeer Ataullah, By e-mail)
Lady Gaga concert
This refers to the report “Lady Gaga cancels Indonesian show after threats” (May 28). I commend the Muslim protesters for causing Lady Gaga to cancel her “Born This Way Ball” in Indonesia. Gaga’s music is aimed at the phenomenon of the masses, is industrially produced, and ultimately has to be described as the cult of the banal. Her album “Born This Way” is a narcissistic exercise in self-absorption that never really attempts to answer the core question elicited by the title as to what it really means to be authentically human. For Gaga, the mantra “Born This Way” is nothing more than a convenient slogan to justify anarchy and sexual permissiveness.
From the self-centered clothes she wears to the artificial self-esteem she exudes in her songs, Lady Gaga stands for everything that is wrong in society. (Paul Kokoski, By e-mail)
Fuel hike in India
The decision of the UPA government to increase the prices of petrol is a big blow to the common man. The common man’s back is already broken, thanks to the high costs of food and essential products. The rise in the fuel prices will have a cascading effect. This callous decision of the government has come at a time when food inflation is around and the general inflation rate has reached double digits.
With the rate of inflation already high, the decision to increase the prices of petroleum products will add to the misery of the common man. I do not understand why the UPA government is so insensitive about the needs of the people. Unloading the fiscal deficit of oil companies is more important for them than correcting their flawed economic policies. Why doesn’t the government put an end to the many taxes that add up to the exorbitant price of petrol, etc.? It has become customary for political parties to increase the prices of fuel after being elected to power and reduce them marginally whenever the government’s term is about to end. The hike in the prices of petrol will affect the middle class badly. The common man, reeling under the impact of a global recession, is already struggling to meet his basic needs. There seems to be no visible strategy by the union ministry to cut crude costs in the country. The price rise should be rolled back. (Mir Gazanfar Ali Zaki, Jeddah)
Letters to the Editor: Facing the reality of partition
