Foreign policy: Khurshid Kasuri to launch book next month

LAHORE:

Former foreign minister Khurshid Mahmud Kasuri is all set to launch his book on Pakistan’s foreign policy, ‘Neither A Hawk, Nor A Dove’, early next month.

The book contains insider accounts of people who were actively involved in developments on Kashmir and also gives details regarding the backchannel negotiations and the peace process from 2002 through to 2007.

Kasuri has analysed the situation with respect to the latest developments in India, Afghanistan and Pak-US relations based on his experience as a foreign minister.

Besides giving an account of the developments in the peace process under the former Indian prime minister Dr Manmohan Singh, he has also given an account of his interactions with the leadership of the BJP since the peace process started under former prime minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee.

The book, brought together in four years, also highlights Kasuri’s relationship with President Musharraf and contains certain interesting details regarding the judicial crisis in March 2007.

Interestingly, the book’s title which also serves as opening sentence in the book is the question former president Pervez Musharraf put up in his very first meeting with the new foreign minister as asking him pointedly, “Are you a hawk or a dove on India, Kasuri Sahib?”

Kasuri says in the book that he has tried to be as objective as possible and has given credit, where due, to those on the other side of the political divide. He says that since foreign policy has a major impact on national security, partisanship on foreign policy matters is grossly counterproductive.

Published in The Express Tribune, August 27^th, 2015.