Pakistan’s Ambassador to the UAE Jamil Ahmed Khan has emphasised the need for pursuing economic diplomacy to benefit from the international opportunities available to Pakistan in the field of economy and trade.

The potency of mangoes — and their — mythical reputation in Pakistan and many other parts of South Asia, was brought home to me last week when, as it does most years, the Pakistani embassy in Brussels held a ‘mango extravaganza’ in a prestigious local hotel whose chef has finessed the art of turning mangoes into pieces of culinary magic.

Holding back the $800 million in aid is unlikely to pressure Pakistan to increase cooperation with the U.S. and could strengthen those in the government who argue that Washington is a fickle ally who can't be trusted.

Invited by the Chinese National Office for Teaching Chinese as a Foreign Language, they were attending a two-week summer camp organized by Shandong University in different cities of China....Khan said the visit gave Pakistan students an opportunity to get firsthand knowledge about China and experience the country's rich and diverse culture.

UK aid agencies raised £71m in their Pakistan floods appeal last year, the third highest amount raised for a humanitarian disaster, according to the Disasters Emergency Committee (DEC), the umbrella organisation of British humanitarian groups.

The relationship between the two countries has deteriorated amid mistrust and misunderstandings into a purely transactional relationship. Money is paid when there is something that Washington wants and Pakistan is only too willing to take the cash.

Perhaps the time has come for a frank Indo-Pak dialogue on Afghanistan. Situated by and large within a liberal democratic framework, South Asia can play a part in redeeming world Islam by its example, through imaginative Indian diplomacy and use of its considerable soft power.