With the recent transformation in India’s political scene, and Pakistan’s first successful democratic transition of power in its history, what are the implications on the dynamics between Pakistan and India in South Asia and globally? Do the new relationships give reason to hope for a sustained, constructive, and mutually beneficial engagement between the two neighboring countries?
On August 7, Manjeet Kripalani, Co-founder and Executive Director, Gateway House participated in a talk organised by the Asia Society India Centre on the theme, “New Leadership, New Relationship: a way forward with Pakistan”. The panel also included former Pakistani diplomat and Director for South and Central Asia at the Hudson Institute, Husain Haqqani, and Sudheendra Kulkarni, Chairman of the Observer Research foundation to discuss whether the new administrations give reason to hope for a sustained and mutually beneficial engagement between India and Pakistan.
Manjeet Kripalani, Co-founder and executive director Gateway House, is the former India Bureau chief of Businessweek magazine. During her extensive career in journalism (BusinessWeek, Worth and Forbes magazines), she has won several awards, including the Gerald Loeb Award, the George Polk Award, Overseas Press Club and Daniel Pearl Awards. Kripalani was the 2006-07 Edward R. Murrow Press Fellow at the Council on Foreign Relations, New York, which inspired her to found Gateway House. Her political career spans being the deputy press secretary to Steve Forbes during his first run in 1995-96 as Republican candidate for U.S. President, to being press secretary for the Lok Sabha campaign for independent candidate Meera Sanyal in 2008. She sits on the board of the International Centre for Journalists, the Overseas Press Club, and the Indian Liberal Group, which are all non-profit organizations.
Husain Haqqani served as Pakistan’s ambassador to the United States from 2008-2011. He is currently Director for South and Central Asia at Hudson Institute in Washington, DC and Professor of the Practice of International Relations at Boston University. He has been a journalist, academic and diplomat in addition to serving as advisor to four Pakistani Prime Ministers, including the late Benazir Bhutto.
Sudheendra Kulkarni is Chairman of the Observer Research Foundation Mumbai, a non-partisan public policy think tank. He is a well-known socio-political activist and author of several books.