This Ramzan the Indian army is exploring gastronomical route to win the hearts and minds of the people in the restive Jammu and Kashmir. From Rajouri to Gool and from Kupwara to Tangmarg, the army is throwing Iftaar parties in remotest corners of the state to celebrate Ramzan with the common people. The sub-text of the Iftaar bashes is to uild bridges and improve its image amongst the general public.

In June, Balochistan Liberation Army (BLA) militants bombed and attacked the home of Quaid-e-Azam Muhammad Ali Jinnah – the Founding Father of Pakistan. Situated in Ziarat, and well-known for its Juniper forest (the second largest in the world), the beautiful, picturesque home, with its quaint wooden exterior, stood as an integral part of the country’s heritage. It was where Pakistan’s founder spent his last days. The attack, which destroyed the residence, came as a huge blow to the nation.

US Secretary of State John Kerry arrived in Pakistan Wednesday to discuss American drone strikes and the war in neighboring Afghanistan. Kerry will meet Pakistan's civilian and military leaders with the aim of easing tensions over the strikes in Pakistan's tribal areas. He will also meet with recently elected Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif, who has opposed the strikes, calling them a breach of the country's sovereignty.

Foreign Office (FO) spokesperson Aizaz Ahmad Chaudhry has said talks with US secretary of state John Kerry during his visit to Pakistan will encompass broad based bilateral ties between Pakistan and US. Talking to Voice of America FO spokesperson said talks on regional situation with particular reference to Afghanistan will be part of dialogue agenda. Dates for John Kerry visit to Pakistan are being worked out which will be announced soon, he indicated.

The Centre for Pakistan and Gulf Studies (CPGS), Islamabad, has recently launched a mega-project titled ‘SALAM: Innovating Means to Resolve Radical Extremism in Pakistan’. The aim of the project is to introduce measures for large scale de-radicalisation initiatives in Pakistan by suggesting viable policy options to all stakeholders. The project is particularly focused on devising non-military tools (soft power) to fight this menace. It will be carried out in 3 phases.

The two primary functions of the ministry are the projection of public policy to the people of Pakistan and conducting public diplomacy, both at home and overseas. The public policy is the government’s decision of doing or not doing something. The importance of public policy projection is well documented in the study of public management. Before the media’s freedom, the ministry performed this function through its various departments, but now the media anchors provide sufficient opportunity to government representatives to justify their policies and actions.

This Friday, 500 young leaders from nearly 90 countries will convene at the United Nations headquarters for a UN Youth Assembly on global education with a very special guest speaker -- Malala Yousufzai. Their mission is simple and profound: to accelerate the goal of getting all children, especially girls, in school and learning by 2015.

Officials from archrivals India and Pakistan say there is political will on both sides to take the often-contentious relationship to a new level. Indian Foreign Minister Salman Khurshid met with Pakistani Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif's special advisor on the sidelines of the ASEAN summit in Brunei on Tuesday, in the first such talks since the Sharif was sworn in as Pakistan's new leader.