India's Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) has undertaken a major overhaul of its departments and reporting structures that are designed to inject better coordination and implementation of policies. This was announced in end January, within a day of Foreign Secretary Harsh Vardhan Shringla assuming office. The prime objective of the exercise appears to be to rationalise the ministry’s functioning and provide more time to the Secretaries, four in addition to the Foreign Secretary, to focus on policy formulation and strategisation. In an address to MEA officers, External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar said the restructuring was designed to take some load off the shoulders of the Secretaries who are “overburdened and overworked.”The major revamp encompasses the creation of seven pillars, each headed by an Additional Secretary (AS) who would deal with specific segments related to horizontal policy/thematic issues, as well as different geographical/territorial areas. 

A majority of the foreign envoys who recently visited the valley have expressed satisfaction with the gradual restoration of normalcy in the region. A group of 25 foreign heads of missions representing various countries visited Kashmir two days ago to assess the situation following the reorganisation of erstwhile Jammu & Kashmir state into a Union Territory and revocation of its special status on August 5, last year.

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has once again come to stand by Pakistan, which has been facing diplomatic isolation over Kashmir. Addressing a joint session of Parliament in Islamabad, for the fourth time, Erdogan reiterated his country's support for Pakistan and its stand on the Kashmir issue. Since 1947, Pakistan attempted to invade Jammu & Kashmir through four conventional wars. For the last three decades, the ISI has been sponsoring cross-border terrorism in Kashmir.

US-India analysts tracking President Donald Trump's visit to India later this month are hoping for a much-anticipated trade deal that holds the promise of ending three years of escalating trade tensions. Trump and First Lady Melania Trump are scheduled to visit India February 24-25 for the first time since he occupied the White House. Speaking to reporters this week, Trump said the trade deal with India will happen if "we can make the right deal".
 

Inaugurating the 11th and largest ever Indian defence exposition, DefExpo, organised from February 5–9  in Lucknow, Prime Minister Narendra Modi announced a target of USD$5 billion for defence exports, to be achieved over the next few years, and added that India, a democracy with a huge population, cannot remain long dependent on defence imports. India currently imports about 70% of its defence needs. 

New social media policy in Pakistan has been created for the protection of citizens said Special Assistant to the Prime Minister on Information and Broadcasting Firdous Ashiq Awan.

India has expressed scepticism over the efficacy of the conviction of Hafiz Saeed, the founder and patron of the banned terror outfit Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT), by a Pakistani court ahead of the Financial Action Task Force (FATF) plenary meeting.

India's first Chief of Defence Staff (CDS), General Bipin Rawat,  said civilian control over the military in India is a must. 

US President Donald Trump will get a red-carpet welcome in Gujarat later this month. Sources said the government is organizing 'Kem Chho, Trump', the Gujarati equivalent of Texas event 'Howdy Modi' in Prime Minister's home state, Gujarat for President Trump and his wife Melania.

Days ahead of the FATF meeting, the Pakistan opposition slammed the Imran Khan government over the escape of Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan's (TTP) former spokesperson Ehsanullah Ehsan who was responsible for terror attacks on Malala Yousafzai and Peshawar Army Public School.

India's new Foreign Secretary Harsh V Shringla is set to visit neighbouring South Asian nations to strengthen the country's 'Neighbourhood First' policy. He will be visiting Bhutan, Bangladesh and Afghanistan in the near future, according to a report published in The Economic Times.

A spontaneous protest initiative at Shaheen Bagh has now become a movement inspiring many others in various parts of the country

A meeting of BBIN MVA (Bangladesh, Bhutan, India and Nepal Motor Vehicles Agreement) to discuss the passenger and cargo protocols that are to give effect to the MVA for the regulation of passenger, personal and cargo vehicular traffic between Bangladesh, Bhutan, India and Nepal, signed on 15 June 2015 was held in New Delhi in presence of a Bhutanese observer team .

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi said that he was confident Sri Lanka will address the issues of the Tamils. "I am confident that the Government of Sri Lanka will realize the expectations of the Tamil people for equality, justice, peace, and respect within a united Sri Lanka," Modi said in a press statement.

An India-Africa Defence Conclave is being held for the first time during India’s biennial defence exposition, the DefExpo 2020, that was inaugurated in Lucknow by Prime Minister Narendra Modi