Pilgrimage diplomacy or

dargah A dargah ( fa, درگاه ''dargâh'' or ''dargah'', Turkish: ''dergâh'', Hindustani: ''dargah'' दरगाह درگاہ, bn, দরগাহ ''dorgah'') is a shrine or tomb built over the grave of a revered religious figure, often ...

diplomacy is a new term in political science and international relations. It usually refers to officials or politicians traveling to a non-friendly or enemy country under the pretext of pilgrimage or visiting a holy shrine, but with the aim of political discussion or a political visit. An example of such a pilgrimage is

Iran Iran, officially the Islamic Republic of Iran, and also called Persia, is a country located in Western Asia. It is bordered by Iraq and Turkey to the west, by Azerbaijan and Armenia to the northwest, by the Caspian Sea and Turkmeni ...

ian officials' travel to

Mecca Mecca (; officially Makkah al-Mukarramah, commonly shortened to Makkah ()) is a city and administrative center of the Mecca Province of Saudi Arabia, and the holiest city in Islam. It is inland from Jeddah on the Red Sea, in a narrow ...

and to an Iraqi holy shrine in the 1970s and 1980s. Another example is Pakistani President

Asif Ali Zardari Asif Ali Zardari ( ur, ; sd, ; born 26 July 1955) is a Pakistani politician who is the president of Pakistan Peoples Party Parliamentarians and was the co-chairperson of Pakistan People's Party. He served as the 11th president of Pakist ...

's "private spiritual journey" to India to visit the

Ajmer Sharif Dargah Ajmer Sharif Dargah (also Ajmer Dargah, Ajmer Sharif or Dargah Sharif) is a Sufi tomb (''dargah'') of the revered Sufi saint, Moinuddin Chishti, located at Ajmer, Rajasthan, India. The shrine has Chishti's grave (Maqbara). Location Ajmer Sh ...

, which ended with acceptance by Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh to travel to Pakistan. Some mass media suggested that the pilgrimage visit should set the stage for the two sides to tackle contentious issues tensions and obstacles.

References

{{Diplomacy International relations Types of diplomacy History of the foreign relations of Pakistan