IN a preview of a seemingly interesting book — The spy chronicle: RAW, ISI and the Illusion of Peace — jointly authored by former ISI chief Lt Gen Asad Durrani and ex-RAW chief A.S. Dulat, the Indian spy master has asked his government to invite Pakistan’s army chief to “kick-start the stalled talks between the two countries.” I am not overly optimistic of the idea’s success because of ground realities, namely the successive Indian governments’ attitude towards Pakistan since 1947.

I am a retired professor who had an opportunity to work with Indians in a Saudi University from 1986 to 1998. The Indians I worked with were mostly warm towards Pakistanis and there was no serious friction between us. The warmth in my opinion was because Indians and Pakistanis have almost identical language and culture.

I endorse Mr Dulat’s thoughts as I firmly believe that wars have hardly ever solved problems — rather created them, not to mention the trail of destruction.

India and Pakistan should work together. The two nations combined have the best brains comparable to any other nation besides financial brain and muscle. If they befriend each other and evolve a mechanism to work together, there is no doubt that together, we could be another world power. Alas, it appears this is the wishful thinking of a senior citizen.

M. Masud Butt

Lahore

Published in Dawn, May 24th, 2018