Khurshid Mahmud Kasuri facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Khurshid Mahmud Kasuri
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Kasuri in 2003
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| 25th Minister of Foreign Affairs | |
| In office 23 November 2002 – 15 November 2007 |
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| President | Pervez Musharraf |
| Prime Minister | Shaukat Aziz |
| Deputy | Khusro Bakhtiar |
| Preceded by | Abdul Sattar |
| Succeeded by | Inam-ul-Haq |
| Personal details | |
| Born |
Mian Khurshid Mahmood Kasuri
18 June 1941 Lahore, Punjab, British India (Now In Pakistan) |
| Nationality | Indian (1941-1947), Pakistani (1947-Present) |
| Political party | Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf |
| Other political affiliations |
Pakistan Muslim League Q |
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Khurshid Mahmud Kasuri (born 18 June 1941) is a Pakistani politician and writer. He served as Pakistan's Minister of Foreign Affairs from November 2002 to November 2007. This means he was in charge of Pakistan's relationships with other countries.
He is a senior advisor for a political party called Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf. He also works on important issues like the Kashmir region. Kasuri is also the author of a book titled 'Neither a Hawk Nor a Dove'.
He was born in Lahore, which is now in Pakistan. He studied at Punjab University and later studied law at Cambridge in the UK. He also learned French in Nice, France.
Kasuri started his political journey with the Tehreek-e-Istaqlal party. This party was a main opposition group at the time. He became its Secretary-General. He also served as the Secretary-General of another opposition group, the Pakistan Democratic Alliance, in 1993.
He was sent to prison several times for opposing the governments of Bhutto and General Zia ul Haq. He was elected to the National Assembly (Pakistan's parliament) in 1997 and 2002. He strongly disagreed with a proposed change to the Constitution in 1997. He even resigned from the National Assembly to protest it.
In 1999, after a military takeover, he left his political party. He then joined the government and became the Minister of Foreign Affairs in 2002. He held this position until 2007. In 2012, he joined the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf party.
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Early Life and Education
Khurshid Mahmud Kasuri belongs to the Arain tribe of Punjab. He finished high school in Karachi. He then attended Government College University before transferring to Punjab University. In 1961, he earned a degree with honors in international relations. He had an excellent academic record throughout his studies.
Political Career and Diplomacy
Working with Foreign Relations
In 1990, Kasuri rejoined the foreign ministry. He helped the Pakistan Muslim League with their foreign policy ideas. In 1996, he led a party group to China. They were invited by the Chinese Communist Party and met with top Chinese leaders.
He also attended international conferences in Seoul and Cairo in 1997. In 1998, he supported Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif's decision to conduct atomic tests. He was appointed as the Prime Minister's Special Envoy. His job was to explain Pakistan's reasons for the nuclear tests to other countries. He visited many nations, including Russia, the United States, Canada, China, France, and the United Kingdom, to gain support.
Standing Up for Democracy
In 1981, Kasuri left the Foreign Office to join national politics. He became the Secretary-General of the Independence Movement party. He was arrested many times during his fight for democracy. This happened when the military government of Zia-ul-Haq did not keep its promise to hold elections.
Many political parties then formed the Movement for Restoration of Democracy (MRD). Their goals were to hold elections, bring back basic rights, allow a free press, and create an independent justice system. Kasuri was arrested often for being part of this movement.
In 1983, he left Pakistan because of the government's actions. He studied in France for a while. He returned in 1988 after Zia-ul-Haq's death. He rejoined the Foreign Service after his friends asked him to.
He first ran in the 1993 general elections as a member of the Pakistan Muslim League. He won his seat in Kasur and won again in the 1997 elections. He became the Chairman of the Parliamentary Standing Committee on Information and Media Development. He was also a senior member of the Parliamentary Standing Committee on Foreign Relations.
In 1999, after a military takeover, Kasuri disagreed with his party's leadership. He joined a different group of the Pakistan Muslim League in 2001. He won his seat in the 2002 general elections from Kasur.
Khurshid Mahmud Kasuri was known for speaking his mind on national issues. He did this even if the government did not like his views. In 1997, he called for the removal of President Farook Ahmad Leghari. He also raised concerns about changes to the Constitution. He worked hard to stop a bill from becoming law in its original form. He even threatened to resign from his party and his seat if the bill was not changed. He did resign, but the Prime Minister tore up his resignation.
Becoming Foreign Minister
On 23 November 2004, Prime Minister Zafarullah Khan Jamali chose Kasuri to be Pakistan's Minister of Foreign Affairs. Other political parties did not object, and he was approved by the parliament.
He took office on 23 November 2004. He announced that the new government's main goal was to improve relations with India. He aimed for a neutral foreign policy. He said, "We want to improve relations with India and wish peace and prosperity for the people of India."
Later Political Life
In the February 2008 parliamentary election, Kasuri ran for a seat in the National Assembly. He was defeated by another candidate.
Academia and Public Speaking
In 2012, Khurshid Kasuri gave lectures on peace and conflict studies. He spoke at the "Centre of Peace and Progress." He also met with the Governor of West Bengal, N.K. Narayan.
Khurshid Kasuri is also an executive member of the board of directors for Beaconhouse National University.
