Another major voice in Pakistan questioning the national narratives has been that of the Ajoka Theatre group. Ajoka (meaning “dawn of a new day” in Punjabi) gave three performances in Washington, D.C., this past weekend, presented by the Laboratory for Global Performance and Politics and the Department of Performing Arts at Georgetown University. These performances were part of the laboratory’s two-year Myriad Voices Festival that aims to expand awareness and understanding about Muslim societies through the performing arts.

This week U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry traveled to India and Pakistan. Although there is little he can do to resolve long-standing tensions between these nuclear-armed neighbors, Kerry should take advantage of a recent development in Pakistan to reduce the near-term likelihood of war on the subcontinent.

With more than 22 million Indians living abroad and about seven million Pakistanis doing the same, the expatriate communities have found ways to put their grudges from back home aside and even formed lasting friendships in their new countries. 

From Narendra Modi’s landslide victory in India to a one-sided and violent election in Bangladesh, from mass demonstrations in Islamabad to campaigning for an early presidential poll in Sri Lanka, 2014 was a year of fast and furious politics for the fifth of the world’s population who live in south Asia.

India to focus on diplomacy for development in 2015, says SwarajExternal Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj has said that 2014 was a year of breakthrough diplomacy for India, and added that New Delhi will in the next year focus on diplomacy for development with a new vision and renewed vigour.

The US needs a more strategic approach in providing assistance to the two troubled countries.

At a time when the world is giving more to aid, Australia has cut its aid budget by a quarter. What does this say about the kind of country [they] want to be?

In this aspect the US ‘smart power’ strategy in its relationship with Pakistan is very important to understand. Pakistan is arguably the litmus test to evaluate if the new US agenda is moving in right direction.