Despite the Shiv Sena threatening to disrupt the three-day visit of former Pakistan Foreign Minister Khurshid Mahmud Kasuri here, the programme will take place as scheduled.
The Observer Research Foundation, which is hosting Mr. Kasuri here, confirmed late on Sunday night that Mr. Kasuri had reached his hotel in South Mumbai. The foundation had written to Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis seeking security.
“The Chief Minister’s Office is directly supervising the security arrangements. So Mr. Kasuri’s visit will go on as scheduled,” an ORF spokesperson said.
Shiv Sena leader Ashish Chemburkar had threatened to stage a “Sena-style” protest against the visit. The Sena had earlier forced the cancellation of Pakistani singer Ghulam Ali’s musical tribute to ghazal maestro Jagjit Singh.
Mr. Kasuri will launch his memoir, Neither a Hawk nor a Dove: An Insider’s Account of Pakistan’s Foreign Policy , at the Hall of Culture, Nehru Centre, here on Monday. The launch will be followed by a panel discussion in which historian A.G. Noorani, actor Naseeruddin Shah and senior journalist and former Kashmir negotiator Dileep Padgaonkar will participate.
Mr. Kasuri will visit Mani Bhavan and Jinnah House, and meet veteran actor Dilip Kumar at his Bandra residence. The Mumbai fire brigade received a call that a Maruti car was ablaze near Nehru Centre, triggering rumours that Sena activists had set it on fire. However, the police had not confirmed it. “ The fire was doused, but whether the car caught fire or was set on fire is not clear,” an official said.
Senior Sena leaders held a meeting at Matoshri residence of their chief Uddhav Thackeray who was away in Beed district to meet drought-affected farmers. “There is no change in Shiv Sena’s stand,” Sena leader Sanjay Raut told The Hindu, emerging from the meeting. “What we said opposing Ghulam Ali’s concert holds good for Mr. Kasuri’s visit as well. Unless Pakistan stops cross border terrorism and killing our soldiers on the border, we oppose any ties with Pakistan. Is Mr. Kasuri going to pay homage to the Indian soldiers killed by Pakistani troops on the border? Is he going to condemn Pakistan’s actions? Why then should we roll out the red carpet for him?”
Asked if the Sena would stage protests at Mr. Kasuri’s public functions, Mr. Raut said: “Wait and see what happens tomorrow.”
Earlier, he told reporters that if Mr. Kasuri paid homage to Indian soldiers killed in Pakistan’s ceasefire violations before launching his book, the Shiv Sena would consider letting him proceed with his itinerary.
Condemning Shiv Sena’s “cultural terrorism,” the Aam Aadmi Party on Sunday reached out to Sudheendhra Kulkarni, ORF chairperson, urging him not to succumb to the party’s threats.
“Shiv Sena cannot decide what Mumbaikars, or Indians, will hear or read. They cannot be allowed to dictate the policy between India and Pakistan. India-Pakistan issues are very sensitive and Kashmir is an emotional issue for all Indians, and they deserve serious, cogent debate. Solutions cannot be arrived at through threats and diktats,” AAP national spokesperson Preeti Sharma Menon said.
She urged Mumbaikars to attend Mr. Kasuri’s book launch to support freedom of speech. “It is a shame that the Chief Minister of Maharashtra was unable to inspire confidence in the organisers of the Ghulam Ali concert. It is now up to the citizens to give artists, performers and writers the confidence that the city will not fail them,” she said in a statement.
