The Pakistan High Commission has started an Urdu Language Training Center in the Sri Lankan capital. The avowed purpose of the venture is to help Lankans who go to Pakistan either for higher studies or to do business, communicate with locals. But it is undeniable that one of the aims of the Center is to counter the spread of Hindi, which is already a hugely popular language in Lanka thanks to Bollywood films and their songs.

The Roots IVY University College on Tuesday invited Ambassador Jauhar Saleem for an interactive session with the undergraduate and A-levels students to enlighten them about the dynamics and functions of the prestigious Foreign Service of Pakistan. Ambassador Saleem is Pakistan’s Ambassador-designate to Germany. [...] He also underscored the importance of public diplomacy in modern conduct of relations among countries.

World renowned Pakistani artist, social crusader, philanthropist and stamp designer Jimmy Engineer continues to promote and project soft, positive, moderate and forward looking image of Pakistan and its peace-loving people before the comity of nations through his art and by delivering lectures at cultural and art centers and institutions.

Tully was in Agra for the SAARC Nations ​Summit organized by Folklore Research Academy (Amritsar) to give a lecture on challenges before South Asia and the role of India and Pakistan. [...] "Conflicts between two nations can only be solved ​by ​public diplomacy, in which citizens are given the right to decide."

But, whereas this fits in with the larger patterns of Pakistan’s history, the emergence of a dynamic Indian honcho with the world in his fists is something Sharif could not have anticipated. If only Sharif knew how to take selfies and understood the intricacies of Snapchat.

Pakistan and India have been commemorating the 1965 war. Their governments and intelligentsia would do well to reflect on its baleful consequences on travel, cultural exchange and trade between them. Both countries were overwhelmed with bitterness.

New Delhi’s desire to reclaim for India the influence and cultural relations it once enjoyed with the countries of Central Asia before the dawn of colonialism can only be reasonably realized through Iran. India and Iran also share many similarities: Extra-regional ambitions and a strong sense that they pursuing an independent foreign policy are common traits in the diplomatic behavior of both countries.