The closing day of the fourth Islamabad Literature festival hosted Khurshid Mahmud Kasuri’s memoir “Neither a Hawk nor a Dove: An Insider’s Account of Pakistan’s Foreign Policy” book launch at Lok Virsa Museum.
The event was very well attended by all sections of the public including politicians, retired Generals and prominent members of civil and top media personalities. Zahid Hussain correspondent for the Times of London and The Wall Street Journal was the moderator of the panel discussion
“Neither a Hawk nor a Dove: An Insider’s Account of Pakistan’s Foreign Relations Including Details of the Kashmir Framework by Khurshid Mahmud Kasuri” and amongst the panelists were Khurshid Mahmud Kasuri, Sudheendra Kulkarni, chairman Observer Research Foundation Mumbai, Ashraf Jehangir Qazi, former ambassador to Washington and High Commissioner to Delhi and Mehr Tarar, senior columnist op ed expert in Daily Times.
Former foreign ministers including Gohar Ayub Khan, Abdul Sattar and former foreign secretaries Dr Hamayun Khan, Riaz Khokhar and Riaz Mohammad Khan and a large number of former ambassadors and current foreign officials attended the session.
Kasuri before commenting on the book said besides acknowledging all the dignitaries present on the occasion, he would like to particularly mention Air Marshal Muhammad Asghar Khan the founder of Tehreek e Istiklal, which became the leading opposition party during Prime Ministership of Zulfikar Al Bhutto. He said the Air Marshal was perhaps one of the most honest politicians in Pakistan. PAF and PIA are the living examples of quality of his governance since he was the first Pakistani head of both.
Sudhindar Kulkarni, chairman of the Observer Research Foundation, said that Kasuri’s book is a great help in recording events of that important period and improving relations between the two countries. He said “War can never be a solution to any problem, War is itself a problem.”
The audience warmly applauded Kulkarni because of his courage shown at the time of Kasuri’s book launch in Mumbai.
Qazi acknowledged services by Kasuri and added that overnight solution for India and Pakistan is not possible and a viable long term plan is needed to bring both countries to a common ground.
