New Delhi is a dream posting for any Pakistani diplomat, says Abdul Basit

Speaking of the similarities between Moscow and Delhi, he says, "I ended my career in India, where there is bonhomie at many levels but there is also hostility"

Getting to speak with a Pakistani diplomat is a rare opportunity for an Indian writer. So I want to make the most of my Zoom call with Abdul Basit, who served as Pakistan’s high commissioner to India from 2014 to 2017. This period, which forms the first three years of the Narendra Modi government, are chronicled in his new book, Hostility: A Diplomat’s Diary on Pakistan-India Relations, published by HarperCollins. It also includes his reflections on bilateral relations after his tenure.

The title is forbidding and I hope the meeting will be friendly. I rarely dress up for online meetings but