Jaipur, Jan 22 (IANS) India and Pakistan must hold talks at all costs, said Pakistan's former foreign minister Khurshid Mahmud Kasuri whose forthcoming book reveals how tantalisingly close the two countries came to a solution to the Kashmir issue in 2007.
"If America and (North) Vietnam could hold talks in a Paris hotel every Tuesday despite bombing equivalent to five atomic bombs going on Vietnam, then India and Pakistan can do likewise," Kasuri told IANS in an interview at the Jaipur Literature Festival 2015 Thursday.
He said there was no alternative to talks as absence of dialogue only strengthens hardliners on both sides, and also stressed there should be no preconditions or allowing the process to get sidetracked.
"There are only four countries in the world - North and South Korea and India and Pakistan - which are in this situation (of not having dialogue)," he said.
Kasuri, who maintained India-Pakistan relations cannot be on an even keel and will go up or down, said it was high time for both countries to get out of the present impasse.
The title of his book "Neither A Hawk Nor A Dove" (published by Penguin India and by OUP worldwide) comes from his answer to the first question then Pakistan president Pervez Musharraf asked him about his stance on relations with India when naming him foreign minister in 2002.
He said the book deals particularly with the negotiations in 2007 which could have laid foundations of a lasting peace between the two neighbours but never came to fruition as the Indian side got more absorbed in the talks with the US on the nuclear deal while Musharraf began facing domestic challenges to his rule.
Kasuri said it was for him to set the record straight on how the two countries could strive to solve their issues, since none of the other primary actors had done so.
In an earlier session on Pakistan where he had been a panelist, he said Musharraf only devoted a paragraph or so to the topic in his autobiography while then prime minister Manmohan Singh had never written anything.
To a query about the mention in Manmohan Singh's former media advisor Sanjaya Baru's book "The Accidental Prime Minister", Kasuri said the mention in this book bolsters the contentions he makes in his forthcoming book.
Asked if the state of affairs that existed then could return, Kasuri told IANS that his book was intended exactly towards this end. "I am confident that we can return to such a state of affairs and therefore I am writing about it so people on both sides can know.
"Only Indians and Pakistanis can understand each other (than anyone else) and have to know how to accommodate each other," he maintained.
Kasuri said his book hopefully will be out by February or latest by March.
Rahul Gandhi Attack: 'Keeping the address of the house to Lok Kalyan Marg does not benefit the people' - Rahul Gandhi takes a jibe at the Modi government
Rahul Gandhi on PM Modi Over Inflation: Former Congress President Rahul Gandhi has often been attacking the Modi government at the Center on many issues including rising inflation, Rahul Gandhi on PM
Clarke bows out of ODIs with a legacy
Melbourne, March 29 (IANS) A responsible match-winning knock of 74 runs off 72 balls in the World Cup final on Sunday, guiding his team to a record-stretching fifth title triumph in cricket's
IT Act's Section 66A does not curb free speech, Government tells SC
New Delhi, Feb 3 (IANS) The central government Tuesday defended section 66A of the Information Technology Act, 2000 saying it was to curb posting of mischievous and objectionable material on social
Bengal consumer cell to move Supreme Court
Kolkata, March 17 (IANS) The West Bengal government's consumer protection cell is approaching the Supreme Court over two Calcutta High Court (CHC) rulings, a state minister said on Tuesday.State
Weather Update: Under the shadow of Red and Orange Alert, there is a possibility of heavy rain in many states of the country, Delhi and other states
Monsoon is raining in most of the states of the country. Given the heavy rains, the Meteorological Department (IMD) has also issued an alert regarding many states. IMD senior scientist RK Jenamani
How did covaxin pass without knowing the effect? Consent before applying, side-effects will also be monitored; Know everything
The Drug Controller General of India (DCGI), India's drug regulator, approved the emergency use of CoviShield and Covaxin on January 3, following the recommendations of the Subject Expert Committee
IPL 2024: When a KKR fan hid the ball inside his pants, the policeman became angry, then what happened...the whole truth was captured in the video.
The match between Kolkata Knight Riders and Mumbai Indians was played at Eden Gardens on Saturday 11 May. A video of this match surfaced, which quickly went viral on social
Ruturaj Gaikwad Asian Games: Ruturaj Gaikwad will lead the Indian team in the Asian Games, Shikhar Dhawan did not get the place
The Indian men's cricket team for the Asian Games has been announced. Under the captaincy of Ruturaj Gaikwad, Team India will present its challenge in the Asian Games for the first time. Earlier media
Agra University: The fee of MA courses was reduced by 10 thousand rupees per semester, a big relief for students
The fees for MA courses conducted at Pandit Deendayal Upadhyaya Rural Development Institute located in Paliwal Park campus of Dr. Bhimrao Ambedkar University, Agra have been reduced. Students will
The USA monitors India more than China: Your every chat, reel, and post is monitored not only in the country but also abroad
India's intelligence agency RAW (Research and Analysis Wing) has been embroiled in controversies by going to Mauritius to peep into people's internet accounts. But do you know that government agencies