Kasuri wraps up 3-day Mumbai visit, to fly Delhi tomorrow

Former Pakistan Foreign Minister Khurshid Mahmud Kasuri today wrapped up his eventful three-day visit to the metropolis, wherein he visited the landmarks associated with Mahatma Gandhi, Mohammed Ali Jinnah and also met thespian Dilip Kumar, even as Shiv Sena threatened to disrupt the visit.
Kasuri, who launched his memoir, 'Neither a Hawk nor a Dove: An Insider's Account of Pakistan's Foreign Policy', in Nehru Centre yesterday, visited Mani Bhavan, a place closely associated with Gandhiji.
During his 55-minute stay at the two-storied building in Gamdevi, which was the hub of Gandhiji's activities for 17 years (1917-34), Kasuri spun a charkha and went through items and books kept there with vivid interest.

Kasuri took a peek in history and spoke out about how Gandhiji and Jinnah made sincere efforts to keep India united.
His next stopover was Jinnah House, the Mumbai home of the Pakistan's founder in upscale Malabar Hill area. Here Kasuri said he will continue to push for opening a Pakistani Consulate in Jinnah House and also favoured reopening of the Indian Consulate in Karachi.
Kasuri later met legendary actor Dilip Kumar at his residence in suburban Bandra. He described the 92-year-old thespian as an icon for both India and Pakistan.

Kasuri is scheduled to fly to Delhi tomorrow morning, said sources in the Observer Research Foundation (ORF), a foreign policy think-thank which hosted him here.

ORF had last week written to Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis seeking adequate security during the Pakistani politician's visit, which did not go down well with Shiv Sena, part of ruling coalitions in Maharashtra and at the Centre.
Shiv Sena leader Ashish Chemburkar had threatened to stage a "Sena-style" protest against the visit. Carrying out the threat, Sena workers blackened the face of Sudheendra Kulkarni, ORF Chairman, ahead of the release of Kasuri's book yesterday.
The Sena had earlier forced the cancellation of Pakistani singer Ghulam Ali's musical tribute to late ghazal maestro Jagjit Singh in Mumbai and Pune.