"India is a key partner for the European Union, and we appreciate the very positive role India has played in enhancing stability in this important region.' Not quite what the head of the EU's executive arm said here last week. He was addressing Pakistan's prime minister, Shaukat Aziz, and was, therefore, speaking about Pakistan. Suppose the visitor had been Manmohan Singh: he would have been welcomed by the EC president, Jose Manuel Barroso, and his colleagues as the Prime Minister of a democratic nation, with which the EU is now engaged in forging a strategic partnership. The support Mr Aziz received whom he met during his three-day visit was as much a signal to the people of Pakistan as a gesture of encouragement to the Prime Minister himself.