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Taliban vandalism-I

Sir,

The decree to destroy the statues in Afghanistan was given by the Afghan leader Mullah Omar. It is important to note that the Mullah was educated in "Islamic schools'' in Pakistan as its most of the Taliban leadership. These schools have been graduating a vast number of fanatical young students. They are taught to kill the "infidels" and destroy their culture as being "un-Islamic". Pakistan finds it convenient to keep these schools as a tool to wage the Islamic "holy war" in Kashmir. One of the main sources of funding for these schools is the fundamentalist Islamic country Saudi Arabia. Both Pakistan and Saudi Arabia, no doubt, share the ultimate responsibility for creating and sustaining the intolerant and violent monster, Taliban, in the name of Islam. Thus, this act should be seen as a future behaviour of the Talibanized Pakistan.

Yours etc...
Moorthy Muthuswamy
Newyork
<moorthy@optonline.net>

Taliban vandalism-II

Sir,

It is surprising to see many nations condemning Taliban for destroying priceless ancient Buddha statues in Afghanistan. The Taliban, admittedly following Islam, deem any statue to be un-Islamic. The destruction of statues may be shocking, but it should not be surprising. This is the logical culmination of an Islamic State.

An Islamic state evolves from a Muslim-majority population to an all-Muslim population. If there is no place for unbelievers in an Islamic State, obviously there will be no place for their religious artifacts. Yet nations like Pakistan portray themselves as 'moderate Muslim democracies'. In a democracy, all are equal. In an Islamic state, there is no place for unbelievers. So the term "Muslim democracy' is simply a ruse to dupe a gullible world.

On the tenth anniversary of Kuwait's liberation, Secretary of State Colin Powell observed that freedom is alive and well in that part of the world, and shall remain so. But even the US troops in Saudi Arabia-an ally and dependent-are forced to celebrate occasions like Christmas surreptitiously. This is hardly freedom. The events in Afghanistan are a warning that eventually this kind of 'freedom' and 'moderation' is the lot of the entire world.

Yours etc...
Mac Kher
mmkher@aol.com

Government has to downsized

Sir,

The fifth pay commission carried the promise of downsizing the government by 30 percent. That has not happened so far. It appears that there is a deep rooted bounding between the bureaucracy and the political management leaving no scope for political reform. This is quite unfortunate.

The Orrisa Super Cyclone and now the Gujarat earthquake have proved that the present system of administration is important to meet challenge of any texture. The whole thing is a gigantic mess of which the upper echelon is a net work of non performing, parasitic elite whose main function is not work but supervision. If the calculation published in a particular English weekly could be any guide we spend Rs. 75,000/- crores a year in calories and allied benefits on this mammoth structure comprising the centre and the states. A Secretary costs us Rs. 8 lakhs a month and an additional Secretary Rs. 6.5. lakhs.

It shall not be inappropriate to reproduce the observations of Sam Pitroda, the noted technocrat reacting to our management efforts in Gujarat. "I was disappointed when I saw on the TV that in Gujarat they have appointed a disaster Management Committee with five Secretaries. You cannot do that. You really need people from the Army and the corporate sector who are more disciplined who have a little more sense of urgency. You cannot give disaster management to IAS officers. It does not work like that. Our former Finance Minister Mr. P. Chidambaram has not minced words in his observation. We have one of the weakest executive Governments in the world. The permanent civil service is a huge burden on the exchequer and provides little value for the money spent on it. All this must go a drastic change. Even Jawahar Lal Nehru did not fail to observe in an interview shortly before his death. My inability to reform the civil servants was one of my greatest regrets.

What we need in India, today, therefore, is that the government has to be downsized, procedures simplified, accountability introduced and enforced and those incapable of changing themselves asked to go on voluntary retirement. If this is not done then the alarm posed by the incapable and lethargic bureaucracy shall be heard with a funeral note and the slab of this machinery which is not the chests of the tax payers shall grind heavier rendering us all immobile and ineffective.

Yours etc..
P K Joseph Dhar
Roop Nagar, Jammu.

Medicines

Sir,

Multiplication and mushrooming of pharmaceuticals should have helped the patients to buy the prescribed medicines at lower and genuine rates to soothe the nerves of the poor but it is one more blow to the unabated degraded medical values. Today though the whole Indian structure has developed the infectious and cancerous disease of materialism but the medical profession which was considered a noble one should have not stooped to the lowest contours of ill morality and gree.

Not going into the details that how much and in which way doctors and allied concerns have misused their skills for monetary benefits only axing the roots of human values. I particularly want the authorities to give attention towards the medicines and their prices. No one here is concerned about the price level of same type of medicines. Medicines having the same salt and composition are sold at different rates and some doctors do not mind to prescribe those drugs which have higher costs because such agencies lure them with attractive gifts or money packs.

For example the cost of Famic 40 of the Zee laboratories having the salt of 40 Mgs of Famotidine per tablet is Rs. 20+ LTE per ten tablets whileas the Famotidine 40 of Zydus Alidac having same 40 Mgs of Famotidine per tablet is sold of Rs. 9. 21+LTE per fourteen tablets thus having the hell of difference but God knows why? Is there any live conscience to explain these questions ? Shall one believes that medicines sold at lower rates are sub standard or have the medicines sold at higher rates the patronage of higher concerned authorities? Who cares for these things and are the pharmaceuticals or Laboratories answerable to any one ? How many times we will ask, repeat and request the same to concerned authorities ? The poor patient has to buy the same medicines are prescribed by the doctor and cannot utter a world because:-

"Har Wakt Ka Rona To Bekaar Saa Rona Hai"

Yours etc...
Adarsh Ajit
R N Pora Udhampur