In the deck of cards, the life of a Bangladesh passport holder is less of a negotiable instrument than that of a US or UK passport holder. By the same token, Bangladesh passport is also less of a health hazard. Quite rightly, Bangladesh was not party to this illegal invasion of Iraq. On the contrary, Bangladesh is a renowned neutral nation which also has the largest and most disciplined contribution to the UN peace-keeping missions around the world. Therefore it would be safe to rule out any political motives behind this abduction and assume a punitive one against the individual and a deterrent against other cheap workers from taking on future endeavours to abate the occupying forces. In pure monetary terms, the cost of "re-building Iraq" has just increased ­ ever so slightly.

There is one question that naturally arises: what should the Bangladesh government do to protect its citizens in situations like this? I welcome the approach already taken by the foreign minister and his staff ­ which is to clearly spell out our official position in this protracted war and to make a humanitarian appeal for the hostage. In addition, Bangladesh should pursue avenues of recourse against employers who abuse or otherwise put the lives of its citizens at risk, if necessary through international bodies such as the ILO. It should also put on pressure on the occupying forces for failure to provide adequate safety of innocent civilians in Iraq. Finally, the government should make every effort to inform its citizens of potential dangers, but leave the final decision to the individual. As for Bangladesh citizens, they should do what they have always done and make their own informed risk assessment and act accordingly. I pray that this saga comes to a happy ending for my fellow Bangladeshi.