New Delhi: Narendra Modi’s first tenure as the prime minister of India in 2014 brought with it a fresh hope to normalise relations between India and Pakistan. However, subsequent events proved otherwise.
In his memoir ‘Hostility: A Diplomat’s Diary on Pakistan-India Relations’, former Pakistan high commissioner to India Abdul Basit traces the highs and lows of his tenure in what is easily among the most difficult diplomatic postings anywhere in the world between 2014 and 2017.
Published by HarperCollins, the book will be released on 25 April on ‘SoftCover’, ThePrint’s e-venue to launch select non-fiction books.
Written with honesty, lucidity, and filled with explosive nuggets, Basit’s words and experiences provide a rare insight about what goes on behind the scenes between India and Pakistan — perhaps the most damaged bilateral relationship in the world.
“Hostility provides an insider’s perspective on one of the most antagonistic bilateral relationships in the world. Anyone who has ever wondered how the highly fraught diplomatic space between the two countries is negotiated should definitely read this book,” Swati Chopra, executive editor-HarperCollins India, said.
In his book, the former ambassador recounts how the relationship between the two arch rivals has only strained over time, the ups and downs it has seen and the many stalemates that have happened. But that is not all.
“In short, ‘Hostility’ is not only about hostility between Pakistan and India but will also divulge how non-professionalism and personal grudges leave the art of diplomacy in disarray and, in turn, hurt state interests,” said Basit.
In his 35-year-long career as a diplomat that began in 1982, Basit has served in several Pakistan missions abroad including in Moscow, New York, Sana’a, Geneva and London. He also served as the spokesperson of the Pakistan Foreign Office for three years, has presided over the Islamabad Policy Research Institute (IPRI) from 2017-2018 as president and is currently heading the Pakistan Institute for Conflict and Security Studies (PICSS).
Also read: New book traces roots of modern Indian espionage and founding of RAW