It pays to be patient

The arrest of Mr. Ansari, one of the main accused in 26/ 11 terror attacks in Mumbai marks a clearly visible shift in the geopolitical  realities of the time where the factor of socio-religious and cultural affinities is making way for harsh politico economic priorities.The spirit of cooperation as reflected by Saudi Arabia would not only strengthen the case against the accused but would also encourage other nations to realize the imperativeness of developing an  integral approach to counter the hydra- headed monster of terrorism.It would be a monumental folly to expect a dignified acceptance of inculpative revealations to be made by Mr. Ansari on the part of Pakistani Government yet it is likely to face another moral defeat in the comity of nations in so far as its credibilty pertaining to war against terror is concerned.

Published in 'The Hindu' 29th June 12

Sibal's initiative

With all respect for Mr.Sibal's erudition, it seems that the government's ultimate objective is to create a conducive environment for the gradual elimination of coaching institutions from the educational infrastructure of the country rather than improving the pathetic state of affairs in government educational institutions.In a way, the consistently increasing number as well as influence of such institutions gives ample testimony to the fact that government schools and colleges relying largely (with few exceptions) on a lot of demotivated and complacent teachers have failed to stand the scrutiny of increasing cut and thrust of competitive exams.It is secret to none that a good coaching institution can accomplish in six months what most of the govt institutions would fail to achieve in three years though black sheeps are there in all sphere of activities nowadays.The credibility and relevance of all educational institutions should be left to be judged by the society rather than government.Let them compete under open sky to determine things.