FO sending mangoes for heads of over 32 countries

ISLAMABAD: The Foreign Office is dispatching mangoes to more than 32 countries of the world for their heads of state/government on behalf of the president as part of the “Mango diplomacy.”

Interestingly, the United States, China and some other countries have declined to accept the souvenior citing their quarantine regulations and asked Pakistan not to dispatch the gift.

Chaunsa mango has been selected for the purpose. Previously, Anwar Rattol and Sindhari were also part of the consignments but the two have been dropped this time.

Sources told The News here on Wednesday that the Foreign Office had also listed the French president among the expected recipients of the gift but Paris hasn’t responded to Pakistan’s intent.

The sources pointed out that the mango boxes will also go to Iran, Gulf countries, Turkey, United Kingdom, Afghanistan, Bangladesh and Russia. The countries, which have regretted to accept gift from the president of Pakistan, includes Canada, Nepal, Egypt and Sri Lanka. Meanwhile, the mango diplomacy has returned to the federal capital as political stalwarts from South Punjab and upper Sindh have delivered boxes of mangoes to selected diplomats, high ups of the twin-cities and intellectuals.

Late Nawabzada Nasrullah Khan and late Pir Pagaro senior were founders of the diplomacy, who never failed in undertaking the exercise with the advent of the mango season. Lately, former prime minister Syed Yusuf Raza Gilani, former leader of opposition in the National Assembly Syed Khursheed Shah and former federal minister Jehangir Khan Tarin joined the “Mango diplomacy club”. Khursheed Shah, who has been behind the bars for the third consecutive mango season, keeps dispatching mangoes from the prison regularly.