SAARC meet at Kathmandu

The second world war started in 1939 and Germany occupied France, Holland, and Belgium within a very short time. After the end of the second world war in 1945, these countries became friendly with Germany in a few years' time.

They formed trade communities like coal community and so on, while there was no restriction on movement of the German people to other countries of this union.

I witnessed in 1958 while studying in a West German University of Aachen Technical Hochshule that the Germans could travel to Holland, Belgium and France without visa or other documents only by using their identity cards printed on a piece of cloth. As a Pakistani I could also travel to Holland, Belgium, France without visa though my friends from India had to obtain visa for travel. We very often travelled to Holland border town to buy sugar, rice, cheese, paper, soap, tea and other daily necessities as these were cheaper but we had to pay at nominal rates at the border post. Now, obtaining an Indian visa has become too difficult, troublesome and embarrassing so to say. The SAARC summit at Kathmandu is just over and it was expected that at the 18th SAARC meet travel to each other's country would be made easier, as has been done in the European union. Our SAARC friendship should take a turn to that direction.

Mahmud Ali

New Eskaton Road, Dhaka