Indian activist Sudheendra Kulkarni (L), whose face was blackened by ink in an alleged attack, looks on as former Pakistani foreign minister Khurshid Mahmud Kasuri speaks to media in Mumbai on October 12, 2015. PHOTO: AFP
Accepting Kasuri's invitation, Kulkarni said he will be attending the launch of 'Neither a Hawk nor a Dove' on November 2 in Karachi, along with several prominent Pakistanis and Indians.
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"I thank Kasuri for inviting me to participate in the function to launch his book ‘Neither a Hawk Nor a Dove’ in Karachi on November 2," he said, according to the Indian Express.
"His book is a major contribution to the Pakistan-India peace process, since it provides a detailed narration on the large degree of consensus reached between the previous governments in New Delhi and Islamabad on resolving the vexed Kashmir issue,” Kulkarni said while addressing the Tata Literature Live festival in Mumbai.
Further thanking the Karachi Council on Foreign Relations for inviting him to participate in a seminar on Pakistan-India relations on November 3, Kulkarni said he is both "delighted and excited at the opportunity to visit Pakistan next week."
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Commenting on the success of Kasuri's book launch event despite Shiv Sena's threats, Kulkarni in a statement appreciated the solidarity displayed by the people of Mumbai, which he said "helped ensure the success of the function."
Recalling his visit to Karachi, earlier in 2005, Kulkarni said he is "looking forward to visiting Quaid-e-Azam's mausoleum again, since I am convinced that his vision and ideals, along with those of Mahatma Gandhi, can surely help India and Pakistan in their search for peace, normalisation and Hindu-Muslim unity."
Further, adding that time has come to clear Jinnah's image in the minds of Indians, he said it is vital for both neighbours to learn from past mistakes.
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"Both Indians and Pakistanis need to revisit the complex history of partition with an open mind and learn from the costly mistakes committed in the past," Kulkarni said.
"We should forge a new path of reconciliation through dialogue in which there is no place for wars and violent border conflicts, no place for terrorism and religious bigotry, no place for majoritarianism and denial of minority rights in either country, and no place at all for an artificial wall dividing the people of our two countries who are proud inheritors of a rich and common civilisation," he added.
This article originally appeared on The Indian Express
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