Mango diplomacy sweetens US-Pakistan ties

Celina Ali

Islamabad: When regular diplomacy does not work, mango diplom­acy does or at least it did for the Pakistan Embassy on Thursday evening. The sweetness brought US officials, lawmakers, think-tank experts, journalists, and even undeclared PTI supporters under one roof.

“The United States has important security arra­n­gements with Pakistan,” said Chairman House Fo­­reign Affairs Commit­tee Michael McCaul while thanking Ambas­sador Masood Khan for inviting him to enjoy “delicious Pakistani mangoes.”

Acknowledging the im­­portance of the security ties, he said, “Through trade and economic inve­s­­tments in Pakistan, the two countries would be­­come closer partners and bring peace to our nations.”

Congressman McCaul recalled that his native state Texas has had close ties with Pakistan, and he wanted “to continue the tradition”. Texas is, perhaps, the only US state where Pakistani mangoes are easily available.