(Image source from: Nawaz Sharif unleashes mango diplomacy with Narendra Modi})

Pakistan Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif hopes to soothe frayed nerves in India and start all over again with his mango diplomacy. After the the recent bitterness between the two neighbours over foreign secretary-level talks, PM Sharif sent the best mangoes from Pakistan to Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi in an obvious attempt to temper the bitterness with the sweet fruit.

Indo-Pak relation got strained over Pakistan high commissioner Abdul Basit holding talks with J&K separatists, despite India asking him to desist. This forced New Delhi to cancel the foreign-secretary level dialogue.

Reports suggest that PM Sharif had sent a box of the best Pakistani mangoes - mostly Sindhri and Chausa - to his Indian counterpart. The mangoes, which are the personal favorites of Sharif, were delivered through "official channels" to Modi on Wednesday evening.

The mangoes are supposed to be feeler from Islamabad and seeks to undo the damage caused to Indo-Pak relationship by the cancellation of talks.

Sharif and Modi will meet in New York this month on the sidelines of UNGA, and Pakistan is looking forward to the meeting between them. Sharif's mango diplomacy is an attempt to temper the bitterness before the meeting.

Pakistan has not yet made a formal proposal for a meeting between Sharif and Modi in New York. Apparently, they are waiting for a response from New Delhi to the mango outreach of Sharif.

Sharif has desisted from making any confrontational exchange with India inspite of Modi's recent "proxy war" remarks against Pakistan. The foreign office of Pakistan has made it clear that Islamabad favours better relations with India.

Sharif's mango diplomacy does not end with sending the sweet fruit to PM Narendra Modi. Boxes of luscious mangoes were also sent to President Pranab Mukherjee, Vice President Hamid Ansari and Foreign Minister Sushma Swaraj.

(AW: Pratima Tigga)