The two-day visit of the foreign minister of Russia, Sergey Lavrov, to Islamabad last week marked an important milestone in the development of Pakistan-Russia relations.

Pakistan and China are young states with deep civilizational roots and a history of mutually enriching interactions that span several millenniums.  Reviving the Silk Road has been a common yearning of the two people, with a view to resurrecting a golden age of multi-faceted cooperation.

As 2020 draws to a close, it will be scripted by history as the year of the pandemic-- a transformational year which disrupted normal life and amplified fault lines in politics, economy and governance the world over.

Pakistan-India relations touched a new low in 2019. In February, India attempted a military riposte using airpower against Pakistan at Balakot following a suicide attack by an indigenous Kashmiri, Adil Dar, on an Indian army convoy in Pulwama.