In Pakistan, Shashi Tharoor terms himself hawkish dove

Jan 10, 2012 - Rohit Raj |

Kochi

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The former Junior External Affairs Minister, Mr Shahshi Tharoor, had lost a few fans when he quit the Union Council but his fan base has grown, making him a huge hit even in Pakistan.

Followers are showering praises on Dr Tharoor on the twittersphere. Despite his blunt speak on Pakistan, Mr Shashi was received with warmth.

“Has been having a good trip2Pak! The people are wonderful, hospitality warm, sights special, politics dysfunctional & discussions lively,” he tweeted. “Great paradox of Indo-Pakistan relations: there's no country in the world where an Indian feels more welcome -- even1 with unpalatable views,” Mr Tharoor who has more than 12 lakh followers tweeted and hundreds retweeted.

When he tweeted, “Stimulating visit, esp talk & roundtable organized in Islamabad by Jinnah Institute. Spoke frankly & got some understandable pushback. Learned,2! Columnist Rakehsh Mani anticipating an article on experiences from Pakistan asked “You’ve built a reputation as a hawk on Indo-Pak. Fair?

”To this the most followed Indian in twittersphere replied: “A hawk is often only a dove with an enhanced sense of realism. I come with an open mind & a willingness to learn from experience.

”The number of Pakistan followers for Mr Tharoor has also increased and evidently he tweeted, “Even more amazing when I heard similar comments from young Pakistanis who had lived abroad,” as a reply to a young Indian who got placed in Igate after taking Mr Tharoor’s name as the most inspired man for the interviews.

Mr Tharoor who lost his ministership in connection with the IPL controversy did not forget to express his hopes for a top post in India.

Impressed by his performance at the TV interviews, an NRI, Mr Arora, asked, “How can we make you India Prime Minister?” A humble Mr Tharoor replied, “Thanks, but at the moment not even sub-prime!”

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