When the neighbour drops by

Modi is known to be a master of social media and knows how to create the right amount of hype

He is known to be a master of social media and knows how to create the right amount of hype.

His recent visit to Pakistan, the most surprising one undertaken by the head of any government, comes more as a shock than just a surprise. It’s like a neighbour dropping by at your place, in the late afternoon, to gossip about what is happening in your backyard.

That is exactly what Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi did when he visited Lahore on December 25. Creating hype, via social media and then acknowledging it. Pakistan Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif was all set to bid adieu to his grand-daughter on her wedding reception, when the uninvited neighbour came visiting at the eleventh hour! And he comes not empty-handed, but with presents for the Sharif family.

Was the visit really a surprise? One can only speculate.

Exactly how cordial are our relations with India now? How often do we allow others to visit us, without a prior projected interest shown in us? How often will we be able to repeat that same feeling of being a kind neighbour? One gets delighted, no doubt, when a neighbour visits but not necessarily in the case of a neighbour of whom you are just a little wary.

Also, just how instrumental can such a short visit be in easing tensions between the two countries? A perplexing situation, indeed.

Picture this: imagine if, in the Cold War era, the president of the Soviet Union had paid the American president and his family a surprise visit. It would have generated a roaring and thunderous reaction from the media.

All said and done, this was a trip well-intended, and with there being urgent need of fostering friendly ties, was also the need of the hour. We all hope peace prevails in the region. We also hope the two countries are able to let their guards down, even if briefly, and share the delights of being neighbours. I hope also that this gives birth to the sensibility that the millions waiting to cross the border between the two countries should be allowed to do so and treated with hospitality by the hosts. That is the need of the hour.

Published in The Express Tribune, December 27^th, 2015.