KARACHI: Hopes of early restoration of diplomatic relations between Pakistan and Malaysia have brightened following the arrival of the Iranian Foreign Minister Mr Abbas Aram in Karachi ... presumably on a mission to mediate between the two brother Muslim countries.

The Iranian Foreign Minister landed in Karachi within 48 hours of the announcement made by Foreign Minister Sharifuddin Pirzada that Iran was using its good offices for a rapprochement between Pakistan and Malaysia.

Pakistan was deeply hurt by the derogatory remarks made against the State by the Malaysian representative at the UN Security Council in September last and the Malaysian attitude towards Pakistan during the Kashmir debate. Diplomatic relations between the two countries were severed in October.

And Pakistan has made it clear that diplomatic relations between the two countries would be restored only when Malaysia changed her attitude towards Pakistan.

[Meanwhile, as reported by agencies from Moscow,] the already frayed relations between the Soviet Union and China deteriorated further yesterday [Aug 27] with an announcement of an angry protest by Moscow over what Soviets des­­cribed as “outrages” against Soviet diplomats in Peking.

The Soviet Government charged in a Note, delivered to the Chinese Embassy here on Friday, that demonstrators in Peking had raised “threats to the safety” of Soviet diplomats and had “insulted their dignity”.

The Chinese demonstrations broke out earlier this month as part of the Communist party’s “Proletarian Cultural Revolution”. The ideological campaign is aimed at eliminating all foreign influence, including Soviet, and establishing the ideas of Mao Tse-tung, the party chief, as the guiding banner in all aspects of life.

Tass, the Soviet Press agency, reported from Peking last night that the city was becoming “increasingly tense”.

Published in Dawn, August 29th, 2016