Mr. SQ Chowdhury should be congratulated for standing for the post of secretary general of the Organisation of Islamic Conference (OIC) and the prime minister should be congratulated for having the courage to support him. Mr Chowdhury polled as much as another contestant in the ballot and has nothing to be ashamed of.

We should welcome the fact that a secretary general was elected to the OIC for the first time, rather than be chosen by consensus and that Bangladesh played an important role in such a historical event.

Imran Ispahani London

I had the unfortunate experience of watching the most distasteful press conference on channel I last Monday (21.6.2004) of SQC trying to justify all his vulgar comments which he made earlier against his fellow lawmakers belonging to the opposite bench of our parliament. He is the one who once, not so long ago, made derogatory remarks about the BNP chairperson and was expelled from the party to be reinstated again soon thereafter.

How can a man of his past reputation and the way he always conducts himself both in as well as outside the parliament be allowed to keep going in any society even with the basic minimum standard of civilised behaviour? Perhaps it is only possible in a country like ours ,where there is no quality control for anything.

The best thing for everyone including our media is to ignore such a character like it had been done in the case of Enoch Powell by the British people to allow him waste away naturally.

Z Rahman Gulshan, Dhaka

Though it was unfortunate news for Bangladesh that it could not win in the OIC, it was good news that the OIC rejected the controversial man, SQ Chowdhury. The OIC seemed to know the real history of Bangladesh and honoured the Liberation War'71. It was not defeat at all, it was a win for Bangladesh.

Kazi Firoz Bratislava, SR

I have been amazed and ashamed for some people have rejoiced and hailed the defeat of SQ Chowdhury, as the Bangladesh candidate, in the race for the top OIC post. I want to ask what those people would have done if he (SQ) was elected, as was expected, by the support of those (over 30 member countries) who lent their endorsement and committed support. It's indeed a defeat for all of us, and not for him alone, as the Muslim Ummah got divided and derided the election! It doesn't need a PhD to understand the reasoning. How someone claiming himself a Bangladeshi claimed that the "OIC was saved"and "it would have been wrong morally" to have SQ Chowdhury elected in the OIC's coveted post! Shame on you for not supporting the country's own candidate but you are not the bulk of the majority who voted you people out of power while you are lurking to come to power by any means. But please don't do anything which shows your narrow partisan attitude and demeans the country's respectable image.

AF Rahman Via e-mail

I am writing from Sydney.

We have read about the dirty talk of SQ Chowdhury at Dhaka airport. It is really unfortunate that a man holding such a position could talk in that language.

Abdus Sadeque International Affairs Secretary, Central Executive Committee, Bangabandhu Krishibid Parishad