Content area
Full Text
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 Oxford University Press, Karachi, 2015 Pages: 851, Price PKR 2450
Inspired by Friends no Masters, Khusheed Mehmood Kasuri Neither a Hawk nor a Dove is an excellent reading with some inside details of his political background and grooming up, mostly concentrating upon the political career of this paternal and maternal grandfathers and his own fathers' tracing his descency from historically known renowned personalities.
Referring to the title of the book Khursheed Kasuri mentions this first meeting with Pervez Musharraf who questioned him abruptly whether he was a Hawk or a Dove. Khursheed Kasuri answered none of them (P.1). It was presumed that the title will he relative to the country, whether the foreign policy will be sharp or passive. But unlike the presumption it came only to be more personal.
Narrating and introducing his book, Khursheed Kasuri explains that "the period converged in this book was also, when I was foreign Minister form 2002 to 2007. The book has been updated to date 2014 (and in some cases 2015) with an analysis of the late situation based upon personal experience and insights gained during my period (p.xxiii). In the light of this statement it can be concluded that this 'analysis' in the post 2007 era, is mostly conjectural and subjective. He adds "During the tenure as Foreign Minister, Pakistan Foreign policy favored on promotion of regional and global peace and security as well as the country's economical and social development and the welfare of its citizen: (p.ibid). Surprisingly this statement is no qualified in the details of the book which concentrated on more political issues and relations with India, besides some reflections on the relationship with USA, China and the Middle Eastern countries.
Chapter 1 contains, as mentioned earlier, a history of the Paternal and Maternal grandfathers, and his own father's political career. It provides his contacts with the great political and non-political personalities of Pakistan such as Air Marshal Asghar Khan, Malik Ghulam Gilani, Nawabzada Nasruallh Khan, Mian Mumtaz Muhammad Khan Daultana, Khan Abdul Ghaffar Khan, Khan Abadul Wali Khan, Arbab Sikandar Khan Kalil, Sardar Shaukdat Hayat Khan, Syed Amir Hussain...