Book release event held in Delhi to test waters for resumption of Indo-Pak dialogue

Hatred divided India and Pakistan, says Dr Farooq Abdullah

STC NEWS DESK
NEW DELHI, MARCH 01 (STC): A book release function held in New Delhi on Friday saw participation of eminent personalities and Pakistan guests join virtually. The event, as believed by the political experts, aimed to test the waters for resuming talks between India and Pakistan. Dialogue between India and Pakistan stands discontinued since the 26/11 Mumbai terrorist attacks in 2008.
Remarkably, former J&K chief minister Farooq Abdullah while speaking on the occasion advocated resumption of the SAARC grouping, quoting former PM Atal Bihari Vajpayee, who had famously said “we can choose friends but not neighbours”.
He said, “Nothing will change until we stop hating each other. We were one and are no longer one. It was hatred that divided India and Pakistan.”
Many of the participants from India — and from Pakistan virtually — batted for the resumption of SAARC dialogue, even if in hybrid mode or at a third venue.
Notably, the release of the book ‘In Pursuit of Peace: Improving Indo-Pak Relations’, featuring 52 articles written by academics and diplomats from India and Pakistan saw diplomats, political leaders and thinkers from both sides on same platform to deliberate upon the importance of dialogue and diplomacy between the India and Pakistan.
The book second in series, is edited by O P Shah, chairman of Delhi-based Centre for Peace and Progress. The book was released by the former Vice President of India Hamid Ansari.
In his address, Ansari said, “The two nations born accidentally could have managed themselves better but the relationship has been periodically derailed, and there is no political explanation for that.” The former vice president argued that the neighbours have no choice.
The event, attended by former R&AW chief A S Dulat and former minister Mani Shankar Aiyar among others, and a host of Pakistani diplomats and activists joining virtually, had most of them batting vociferously for some kind of talks and people-to-people ties.
From across the border, Jalil Abbas Jilani, Pakistan’s former foreign secretary, batted for listening to voices “that move beyond hostility, towards peace and reconciliation”. Jilani, who also served as caretaker minister of foreign affairs between August 2023 and March 2024, mentioned Vajpayee’s “forward-looking speech of 2003”, which harped on “insaaniyat, jamhooriyat and Kashmiriyat”. “In the rapidly changing global scenario, a peaceful South Asia is an imperative,” he said.
Notably, Javed Jabbar, former information minister, Pakistan, in his vitual address on the occasion also spoke on the need for resumption of dialogue — be it backchannel or diplomatic. “Both countries have to take initiative proactively in that direction,” he said.
Imtiaz Alam, senior journalist who helms South Asia Free Media Association (SAFMA), said SAARC should be resumed at a neutral venue. “Unlike Champions Trophy, which was held at a third place (Dubai), SAARC can be held at the country which is supposed to host it next besides India or Pakistan,” he said.
Former Indian high commissioner to Pakistan Ajay Bisaria, who served from 2017 to August 2019 and was expelled after the abrogation of Article 370, recalled his “interesting posting”, talking about the paradoxes of relationship, which is equal parts “personal goodwill and institutional hostility”.
He said, “The two countries have a 77-year-old history… Despite four wars, terrorism, and other challenges, there is space for leadership, peace and diplomacy.”
He further stated: “It is a dangerous trap if we continue with a strategic neglect of the other. A calibrated engagement is what is required.”
It’s worth mentioning that Mirwaiz North Kashmir Hassan Firdousi also attended the book-release function as he was also invited by the organisers of the event. (STC)