The Indian Prime Minister was forthright in his response: "If Bangladesh has any grievances, real or imagined I am quite willing to sit together to get to the bottom of these... If there is any truth to these we will correct them." [DS 15-11-05]

Neither of these grievances mentioned the killing of Bangladeshis by the BSF. How fervently we wished the Prime Minister of Bangladesh seized the opportunity of at least referring to this senseless and un-neighbourly behaviour. Instead of solving this human problem, the first action by BSF is firing. These firings have been going on for years with no sign of lessening. These have been reported from time to time in all newspapers.

Sad as it is before a day elapsed, or more correctly speaking, before the ink of the Saarc meet dried up came in the news of a Bangladeshi killed by BSF in Thakeugaon border (DS 15-11-05]. Three days before the meet two Bangladeshis were killed in Maulvibazar border. In both cases abduction of Bangladeshis by BSF preceded protest and flag meeting requests by Bangladesh to no effect as usual.

The Saarc spirit did not last twenty four hours!