Asif Ali Zardari, Pakistan’s president, has made the first visit to India by a Pakistani head of state in seven years, taking a symbolic step towards unwinding decades of tension between the nuclear-armed rival states.
Relations plummeted after the 2008 attacks on Mumbai by a team of Pakistani militants, but the neighbours have since resumed dialogue and agreed to boost the trickle of commerce across their border.
Pakistan and India’s diplomatic dance is being closely watched by the US, which hopes a reduction in tensions might help bolster stability in Afghanistan, which has long served as a proxy battleground between the two countries.