Letters - Panetta’s unwise remarks

Panetta's unwise remarks
US Defense Secretary Leon Panetta's statements made in India against Pakistan are in bad diplomatic taste. He should know that India is considered an arch rival and enemy of Pakistan therefore given the sensitivity of the issue, he should have shown respect in this regard. He further taunted Pakistan by commenting on the Bin Laden raid that was unnecessary.
He wants closer and more intimate ties with India and asked them to play a bigger role in Afghanistan. This is very much against Pakistan’s interest from the security point of view and given the brotherly ties we enjoy with Afghanistan.
Needless to say that a lot of this talk and relationship building by the US with India is geared toward China but it affects Pakistan too.
I would like to request Mr. Panetta to stop this embarrassing talk against Pakistan, a key ally in the war on terror and concentrate on finishing off Al-Qaeda which they have not been able despite using all sophisticated weapons and technology. They could not defeat a ragtag organization like the Taleban, because they have other motives in Afghanistan.
Pakistan has lost 40,000 people in this ridiculous war on terror which can be stopped by talking to the concerned parties instead of bombing them. The US has cleverly brought the war to Pakistan by buying loyalties and by having a compliant government in Pakistan that has allowed too many FBI/CIA operatives to roam around freely. 
The American influence and presence is against the wishes of the people of Pakistan. There are 180 million people and America knows full well their feelings.
Mr. Panetta please don’t threaten us, we now how to fight back. — Zafar Raja, London


Welcome call from Shoura Council

The Riyadh business community and consumers in general must be pleased with the report "Shoura asks customs to clear goods backlog fast" (June 5). The holy month of Ramadan is fast approaching and the fear among everyone is that this might cause a scarcity for popular consumer items. Exporters from the EU countries and the Far East have already started to complain that shipping lines are reluctant or are refusing to take consignments to Riyadh's dry port via Dammam due to the backlog. The detailed action plan by the Shoura Council to expedite and to improve the services in the future looks very promising. We are aware that the clearing of the present backlog is a gigantic task, but with the determination of the authorities, we are sure that they will achieve this goal sooner than expected. We wish them all the best. — S. H. Moulana, Riyadh


Pangs of partition
This refers to the column “Pangs of Partition: Facing the reality of Pakistan.” Like me several readers of Arab News must have been shocked to read an accusation against Maulana Azad in the letter by Abida Rahmani (June 7), which has no prima facie evidence, to say the least. I wish the writer had ascertained the facts against Maulana Azad from reliable source and quoted them while pointing a finger against a scholar of Maulana Azad's stature who is respected not only by Muslims on both sides of the border, but also held in high esteem by other communities for his long participation in India's freedom struggle and contribution to the world of art and literature. He was awarded the highest civilian award "Bharat Ratna" by India posthumously for his contribution to different fields. Besides founding the Indian Institutes of Technology (IITs) which produced internationally renowned engineers, there are dozens of universities and educational institutions that have been named after him.   
It was very sad to see such an accusation against the person who had written one of the popular commentaries of the Holy Qur'an (Tarjumanal Qur'an) in Urdu language besides writing several treatise on Fiqh and Hadith. The political differences, notwithstanding, it is not appropriate for anyone to bring into fore a charge that has no concrete evidence. More disdainful was the statement by the writer "adding a feather in his cap." — Safi H. Jannaty, Dammam