NEW DELHI: Last Christmas, PM Narendra Modi opened his heart to Pakistan PM Nawaz Sharif. Almost the very next day, Pakistani terrorists attacked the Pathankot air base. This year, Modi's saving his Christmas-birthday visit for someone special - Atal Bihari Vajpayee. And all Sharif gets is a tweet from Modi.
That Sharif even got a tweet from the PM - who "prayed for" Sharif's "long life" - is comment-worthy considering atrocity upon atrocity piled upon India by Pakistan-based terrorists - first Pathankot, then Uri, and all along constant ceasefire violations on the Line of Control by the Pakistani army.
Birthday wishes to Pakistan PM Mr. Nawaz Sharif. I pray for his long and healthy life.
— Narendra Modi (
No more Mr. Nice Guy PM Modi, who risked a lot by "dropping by" in Lahore last December 25 to wish Pakistan's Sharif on his birthday and also to greet the Pakistan PM's family on his granddaughter's wedding.
To everyone's shock - and to the horror of many - Modi announced on Twitter last December 25 that impromptu visit to Pakistan on his way back to India from Kabul. "Looking forward to meeting PM Nawaz Sharif in Lahore today afternoon, where I will drop by on my way back to Delhi," he tweeted.
After PM Modi landed in Lahore, the two leaders flew to Sharif's palatial residence, Jati Umra Raiwind, which is some 20 km from the airport, in a chopper. That was the first time that any two leaders of the two countries were travelling together. Even more importantly, that was the first time an Indian PM visited Pakistan since 2004.
During Modi's 150-minute visit to Lahore, the two leaders decided to open ways for peace for the "larger good" of the people of the two countries.
A little under a week later, India got a New Year's gift from Pakistan in the form of a terrorist attack on the Pathankot air base. Seven soldiers were killed and it took almost a week to get rid of all the terrorists.
Then in September, a suicide attack close to the headquarters of the 12th Brigade in Uri in Kashmir killed 18 soldiers and wounded more than 19.
Modi, who was scheduled to attend the SAARC meet in Islamabad in November, cancelled his visit. The repercussions of the brazen attack were so huge almost all SAARC countries dropped out and the summit was cancelled.
Now, Pakistan was and remains diplomatically isolated internationally. At home, Sharif is embroiled in the Panama Papers leaks investigation for allegedly stashing money in overseas accounts. Opposition parties in Pakistan are going at him hammer and tongs and the Supreme Court is investigating Sharif's finances.
It wouldn't be a surprise then if Sharif is today thinking about his last birthday rather wistfully.