Khurshid Mahmud Kasuri

Khurshid Mahmud Kasuri is a Pakistani politician, writer, and diplomat who served as the Minister of Foreign Affairs from November 2002 until November 2007. He currently holds positions as the Senior Advisor on Political and International Affairs and the Chairman of the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf's Task Force on Kashmir. A member of the party's Core Committee, he is also known as the author of 'Neither a Hawk Nor a Dove'.

Early life and education

Kasuri was born in Lahore, Punjab, on 18 June 1941. He completed his high school studies at St Patrick's High School in Karachi before moving toward higher education. Although he was accepted at Government College University, he transferred to Punjab University to pursue his degree. In 1961, he earned a BA with Honors in international relations and secured the first position in the B.A E (Hons) examination.

His academic journey continued abroad to refine his professional skills. He studied law at Cambridge and was later admitted as a barrister at the Gray's Inn. Additionally, he traveled to Nice to study French.

Career

Kasuri began his political involvement with the Tehreek-e-Istaqlal (TI), which was led by Air-Marshal Muhammad Asghar Khan. He rose through the ranks to become its Secretary-General. During his career, he faced significant political turbulence and was imprisoned on several occasions due to his opposition to both Bhutto and General Zia ul Haq. In 1981, he left the Foreign Office to join the Movement for the Restoration of Democracy (MRD). He was subsequently arrested during this period of activism.

After departing the country in 1983 to avoid a purge by Zia, he pursued an academic career in France. He returned to Pakistan in 1988 and rejoined the Foreign Service at the request of his peers. In 1993, he participated in the general elections on a Pakistan Muslim League (PML) platform. He won a seat in the National Assembly from NA-142 (Kasur-V) in 1993 and later secured victory again in 1997. During these years, he served on the Parliamentary Standing Committee on Foreign Relations and as Chairman of the Standing Committee on Information and Media Development.

His political stance remained firm regarding constitutional matters. He staunchly opposed the 15th Amendment to the Constitution, known as the Shariat Bill, during Nawaz Sharif's premiership. Kasuri threatened to resign from both his party and his constituency if the bill was not amended. While he did resign from the party, Prime Minister Sharif reportedly tore up the resignation during a meeting of the Parliamentary party. He eventually left the PML following the 1999 coup d'état and joined a dissident group led by Shuja'at Hussain in 2001.

In 2002, he successfully contested the elections from NA-142. He was nominated as the Minister of Foreign Affairs on 23 November 2004 by Prime Minister Zafarullah Khan Jamali. His nomination received unanimous votes in parliament and faced no objections from opposition parties. As Minister, he prioritized normalizing relations with India and sought to move foreign policy toward a neutral ground. In 1998, he served as the Prime Minister's Special Envoy to support the rationale behind the country's nuclear testing program.

Kasuri joined the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) in 2012. He ran for a National Assembly seat in 2013 but was unsuccessful. In the February 2008 parliamentary elections, he attempted to win a seat from NA-140 (Kasur-III) but was defeated by the PPP candidate, Sardar Asif Ahmed Ali.

Personal life

Kasuri belongs to the Kumhyar Tribe of Punjab. In 2012, he engaged in academic lecturing on peace and conflict studies at the Centre of Peace and Progress. During this time, he lectured alongside Jaswant Singh and met with the Governor of West Bengal, N.K. Narayan.