Mumbai

Sudheendra Kulkarni, Chairman of Observer and Research Foundation who was the organizer of former Pakistan foreign minister Khurshi Mahmud Kasuri’s book launch event in Worli area in Mumbai today alleged that his face was painted black with ink by Shiv Sena activists for refusing to cancel Kasuri’s book launch in Mumbai. Kulkarni had visited Shiv Sena chief Uddhav Thackeray yesterday to speak with him regarding Shiv Sena’s threat to disrupt the book launch event. Kasuri’s book is titled as ‘Neither a Hawk nor a Dove: An Insider’s Account of Pakistan’s Foreign Policy’. AG Noorani, Naseeruddin Shah, Dileep Padgaonkar are key speakers in this event.

Kulkarni in his tweets thanked Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadanvis for ‘his principled and firm stand against Shiv Sena threeat to disrupt Kasuri book launch in Mumbai’. In another tweet he said, ‘Shiv Sena has every right to peacefully protest Pakistan ex-EAM’s book launch, but no right to disrupt.’