Pilgrimage diplomacy

Pilgrimage Diplomacy or Dargah Diplomacy[1] is a new term in political science and international relation. Usually, it refers to the officials or politicians traveling to a non-friend or enemy country under the pretext of pilgrimage or holy shrine but with the aim of political discussion or political visit. An example of such a pilgrimage is Iranian officials travel to Mecca and to an Iraqi holy shrine in the 1970s and 1980s. Recently, President Asif Ali Zardari's "private spiritual journey" to India to visit Dargah Ajmer Sharif, ended with acceptance by Manmohan Singh, the Indian Prime Minister, to travel to Pakistan. The mass media has suggested the pilgrimage visit should set the stage for the two sides to tackle contentious issues tensions and obstacles.[2][3]