My anger and contempt is reserved for the Pakistan Cricket Board management manned by service personnel may be of the 1971 era. We of the old generation who saw 1971 first hand feel that this is like sprinkling salt to old festering wounds. Is this hospitality or hostility?

I have nothing against the players of Pakistan team. They have played in the norm and spirit of cricket, which is popularly know as a gentleman's game.

My observation relates to the team manager, Mr.M A Laif, who hurt many of us by parading his fluency in Urdu. Is it this fluency that has stirred the Pakistan authorities' contempt towards the Bangladeshi team? Who knows. My last observation is in which class did the team manager travel? Could DS through its correspondent kindly confirm?

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I am appalled by the news that on their trip to Multan the Bangladeshi cricketers were made to travel in Economy class while their hosts traveled in the luxury of Business class in the same plane. Though I am shocked by the uncivilised attitude of the Pakistani cricket managers, the news is no surprise to me. After all, such bad manners are not unexpected of the Pakistanis! An incidence like this only exposes the meanness of their character. I want only to know from the Pakistani cricket authorities if they would dare extend the same courtesy to the Australian or even the Indian cricket team.

The coach and the trainer of our team, both foreigners, were appreciably troubled by the incidence. They offered our captain and his deputy their seats in the Business class, I thank the coach, trainer and the captain for their right attitude. I wonder what the Bangladesh team manager was doing at that time. Why could not this ex-army man summon sufficient courage and refuse to fly under such disgraceful arrangement. Perhaps he was too busy impressing the Pakistani players with his proficiency in Urdu or God knows what! I simply fail to understand why such a man with little self- respect and no national pride was sent abroad as manager.

I would like to request our cricketers not to be upset by the incidence and to concentrate in their game. They should know that the Pakistani cricket authorities only managed to insult themselves and their country through this indecent act. Our young cricketers who were born in independent Bangladesh and had not seen our pre-independence days should note that discriminatory attitude like this from the Pakistanis towards the people of the then East Pakistan made the liberation war and our independence an inescapable necessity.

I do not demand any apology from the Pakistanis. They are habitual offenders.

Chowdhury Mushtaq Ahmed, Shuvecha, Sheikghat, Sylhet