This refers to your report ‘Man who drew Punjab IT roadmap gets his reward: jail’ (IE, February 13). It is a disgrace that a techno-savvy officer wanting to do good to society should be held in judicial custody in a jail! Shame on Punjab. Pirzada should be released forthwith and a full investigation launched to nail the corrupt politician who put him in jail. — Ram On e-mail Bush-Mush axis • Musharraf is a great tactician. He has silenced A.Q. Khan on the issue of Musharraf’s deep involvement in clandestine nuke sales to Libya, Iran and North Korea. Bush is making heavy weather of N. Korea’s efforts to make nuclear devices. With this, Bush is trying to show to the world how greatly he is concerned with nuclear proliferation. There is no panic in Pakistan over Bush’s statement. Pakistanis know that even this storm will die down soon. Musharraf may be keeping Osama bin Laden in a safe place in Pakistan to ensure he continues to gets US support. The greatest danger to the world today is the Bush-Mush axis of evil. — Arun Ogale On e-mail Degrees of farce • Apropos of your editorial ‘Kalyan, once again’ (IE, February 13). How about a similar analysis of the DMK alliance with Congress. If Kalyan’s return to the BJP is remarkable, isn’t DMK’s alliance with the Sonia-led Congress even more ridiculous? — Sriharsha On e-mail Costly circus • The vulgar display of self-indulgence by big moneybags and politicians seems to see no end. Only the other day readers were made to feast their eyes on press coverage of the blatantly ostentatious extravaganza of Amar Singh’s birthday celebrations, a bizarre affliction for a self-proclaimed Samajwadi, specially when the bulk of his party vote bank defecates in the open, has little potable water and subsists in a state of sub civilisation through neglect and design. Now we have a yet bigger circus with hundreds of crores being washed down by the Sahara family in which even the PM joined in. — A.P.S. Chauhan On e-mail Life and death • BJP and its allies are at it again, building up a needless furore around playing cricket in Pakistan. This is just the sort of attitude which makes cricket between the two countries a life and death question for the players instead of a game played to provide entertainment and have fun. — Sriram On e-mail Don’t destroy IIMs • THE reduction of fees in the Indian Institute of Management by the HRD Ministry reflects the increasing attack on the autonomy of these institutions. There is growing interference by the government in the management of IIMs and IITs. It is a dangerous trend and needs to be curbed. Cutting of fees does not make any sense because admission to these institutions is through competition at the national level and candidates from all income categories appear in the competition. Those who get admission can avail of subsidised loans from the banks/financial institutions. I appeal to the government not to destroy these institutes. — A.L. Agarwal Delhi
