Much like politics, diplomacy is also a statement made through optics. In this regard, US President Donald Trump's engagements with the Indian and Pakistani prime ministers stand in stark contrast. While it was all glitz and glamour during Howdy, Modi event in Houston where Prime Minister Narendra Modi "presented" US president to "a mini India in Texas", it was all quiet and somber in New York where Pakistan's Prime Minister Imran Khan met Donald Trump and held a joint press conference.

Besides what was spoken at the press conference, largely dominated by Donald Trump, what caught everyone's attention was Imran Khan counting prayer beads called Misbaha as his US counterpart talked.

This was particularly noticeable when questions were posed to Donald Trump over India-Pakistan relations and the situation in Kashmir Valley.

With Imran Khan looking at him, Donald Trump said he heard PM Modi make aggressive statements that were well received by a 50,000-plus strong audience in Houston. When a reporter posed a question about the allegations of human rights violation in Kashmir, Donald Trump remarked, "Where do you find reporters like these" while looking at Imran Khan.

Imran Khan was seen counting prayer beads as Donald Trump gave a rather lengthy answer. These prayer beads were not seen in Imran Khan's hands during his meeting with Donald Trump in July. This may be connected with his frantic effort to present himself and Pakistan as the leader of the Islamic world in the aftermath of the Kashmir move by the Narendra Modi government.

#WATCH New York: United States President Donald Trump says, "He lives in a very friendly neighbourhood" when Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan states that he looks forward to talk to Trump about Afghanistan, India and Iran. pic.twitter.com/e3UiZfxN1r ANI (@ANI) September 23, 2019

But first, a few words on the significance of these prayer beads in Islam. Prayer beads are part of almost all religions. A standard Misbaha, as they are known, contains 99 beads corresponding to the 99 names of Allah. A mini Misbaha with 33 beads is used by many to say prayers in Islam. Imran Khan was counting the smaller one, which is used by a devotee thrice for the complete recitation of prayers.

Now, the Kashmir connection.

Pakistan stakes a claim over Kashmir citing the Muslim majority population in Jammu and Kashmir. Pakistan has seen its stand on the issue as an extension of the two-nation theory that led to the partition of India and Pakistan in 1947. In the name of religion, successive Pakistani governments have tried to foment trouble in Jammu and Kashmir, especially in the Valley.

However, successive elections in Jammu and Kashmir ensured increased integration of the state and people with the rest of India. This saw desperate attempts from Pakistan to keep the Kashmir Valley on the edge through terrorism.

When the Narendra Modi government scrapped the special status of Jammu and Kashmir which it said was the reason why Pakistan succeeded in helping separatists and arming terrorists in the state, the Imran Khan government launched a diplomatic offensive calling for a show of unity by the Islamic world.

Imran Khan has repeatedly tried to project Pakistan as the leader of the Muslims around the world, exhorting them to put up a united fight against India. Earlier this month as he prepared to raise the Kashmir issue at the UN General Assembly - which is currently underway in New York, Imran Khan said, "People will rise against India, and it is not just about Indian Muslims, there are 1.25 billion Muslims around the world. They all are watching this [nullifying Article 370 of the Indian Constitution that gave special status to Jammu and Kashmir]."

This narrative suits Imran Khan's political constituency in Pakistan, which is in the grip of fundamentalist leaders, who invariably extend patronage to terror outfits in the country. Imran Khan has continued to use religion to make a place for himself in Pakistan's politics.

However, his penchant for religion is something that came much later in life.

During his cricketing days, when he captained Pakistan's win in the 1992 ICC Cricket World Cup, he was not known for his religious beliefs. He, in fact, admitted to having very little interest in religion and that too because of his mother, who died of cancer. The passing away of his mother brought Imran Khan into public contact as he toured to raise funds for a cancer hospital in the memory of his mother.

He took a plunge into politics in 1996 and around the same time, he first revealed his interest in Islam. Many years later in 2012, he wrote an article - My Journey into Religion -- in the Arab News, a Saudi Arabia-based publication wherein he claimed he turned to Islam as a reaction to the book, Satanic Verses by British Indian author Salman Rushdie.

As he rose to the political mainstream, he built his messaging around support to religious fundamentalist groups. The support went to the extent that he was dubbed 'Taliban Khan'. But the same political constituency brought him to power in 2018. Upon winning, he gave a call for building a 'Naya Pakistan' that will have a new Islamic identity.

Now, at a time when his Muslim bogey over Kashmir has failed to find favour in the Islamic world and dented his image as a strong Muslim leader, Imran Khan is trying to re-establish his credentials at least to his own supporters in Pakistan. His bead counting during the press conference with Donald Trump might well be a part of the strategy to regain the lost ground back home.