Well, Suu Kyi is a household name in Asia and probably elsewhere as well. While posting about her talk in Gwangju, I ended up reading Peter Popham - who has interviewed Aung San Suu Kyi a couple of times. It's not just just Peter but even if one has gone through the article on Aung San Suu Kyi in Wikipedia - would have read about her freshman years at Oxford and how she evolved as a woman - away from her mother's influence.
It is said that at Oxford, she fell in love with a Pakistani student called Tariq Hyder and it's also said that some of her Indian friends disliked Tariq - well, that's obvious. Later on, he lost interest and turned her down, but the relationship, or at least her hopes of it, outlasted her university career writes Peter.
It is said that Tariq Hyder became a diplomat and as I was reading this, it rang some bells. Oh my God, I thought. I personally know Tariq and have met him a couple of times - who used to be a career diplomat and served as the ambassador of Pakistan in various countries including South Korea. His full name is Tariq Osman Hyder, my mom has a book from Ambassador Tariq's (late) mother - her autobiography, whch is one of the most engaging books I have read. Mr. Tariq Hyder's father used to be one of the famous diplomats who has served as Pakistan's ambassador in Dehli and Moscow - at the peak of cold war era.
I think that among the various diplomats or ambassadors that I have met thus far, I was most impressed by Ambassador Tariq Hyder - a very kind, warm and concerned person. In his capacity as an ambassador, he did his best to help the Pakistani community. Everybody knew him in Seoul and some of the most wonderful projects kicked off during his tenure in Seoul. He writes extensively on Pakistan-India relations. He holds a BA and MA from Oxford university and was a fellow at the Kennedy School of Government at Harvard. He served in the foreign office from 1967 - 2007.
One of Tariq Osman Hyder's article is here.
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