Former Vice President Hamid Ansari released O.P. Shah’s book In Pursuit of Peace: Improving Indo-Pak Relations at India International Center, New Delhi. The event saw leaders, intellectuals, diplomats, religious scholars, and peace activists in attendance.
The book contains 52 articles by Indian and Pakistani scholars and diplomats. Speakers emphasized dialogue and diplomacy, warning against strategic neglect. Many urged SAARC’s revival, suggesting hybrid meetings or hosting them in a neutral country.
Ansari, praising Shah’s optimism, said India and Pakistan, born “accidentally,” could have managed relations better but often derailed for unexplained reasons. He linked it to psychological factors rather than political ones. “Neighbors have no choice but to coexist,” he remarked.
Former J&K CM Farooq Abdullah stressed ending animosity. “We were once united, but hatred caused the split,” he said, supporting SAARC’s revival and quoting Vajpayee: “We can choose friends, not neighbors.”
Goswami Sushil Ji Maharaj of Bhartiya Sarv Dharm Sansad urged cultural ties and youth engagement for dialogue.
The event featured ex-RAW chief A.S. Dulat, former minister Mani Shankar Aiyar, and Pakistani diplomats and activists.
Jalil Abbas Jilani, ex-Pakistani foreign secretary, highlighted security and economic challenges, recalling Vajpayee’s 2003 speech on humanity, democracy, and Kashmir. “A peaceful South Asia is essential,” he said.
Former Pakistani minister Javed Jabbar called for resuming dialogue, formal or backchannel. “Both nations must take proactive steps,” he urged.
Senior journalist Imtiaz Alam, head of SAFMA, suggested SAARC meetings in a neutral country, citing the Champions Trophy played in Dubai due to India’s refusal to visit Pakistan.
Ex-Indian High Commissioner to Pakistan Ajay Bisaria (2017-2019) called Indo-Pak ties a mix of “personal goodwill and institutional hostility.” He linked India’s cricket boycott to security concerns, warning that ignoring each other is risky. “A measured approach is needed,” he said.
