On December 25, Indian Prime Minister (PM) Narendra Modi arrived in Lahore to meet Pakistani PM Nawaz Sharif. He joined the latter on his birthday and the celebration of his granddaughter’s wedding. The impromptu nature of the visit reflects a certain diplomatic strategy by Modi that has proved successful in this case, as it not only helped bypass the media frenzy and speculation that precedes any such meeting but also helped avoid opposition at home before the event (it followed after). Moreover, the personalised nature of the visit has reflected a warm association between Nawaz and Modi that has set an overall positive and encouraging tone for future exchanges between the neighbours. The fact that this visit marks the first time in a decade that an Indian PM has set foot in Pakistan, and that too after mixed signals from the Modi government in the recent past, from inviting Sharif to his swearing-in ceremony through an escalation of firing on the Line of Control (LoC) and Working Boundary (WB) to the sudden cancellation of high-level bilateral talks, explains why it has created considerable media hype. It is best to be wary of analyses that make extraordinary claims about what this meeting represents and how much can be predicted on its basis. Nor should it be dismissed outright as inconsequential, since despite the fact that it is a small move, it is one that needs to be welcomed since any opening, whether on a personal, official or diplomatic level, foretells hope of better relations. It is past time that the two countries exhibit a mature approach and develop strong diplomatic links that can facilitate dialogue to resolve their long-standing issues. This visit has served as a symbolic gesture, clarifying Modi’s stance towards Pakistan as conciliatory rather than antagonistic, relatively softening Modi’s image in Pakistan while drawing criticism from the opposition back home where Modi has until recently been seen as harbouring a tough attitude towards Pakistan. In fact, in the first year of his term, 500 cease-fire violations were recorded on the LoC and WB, the purpose appearing to be to raise the threshold of pain for the ordinary Pakistani citizen residing in the area in order to discourage infiltration into Indian-held Kashmir. The factor that may have changed this truculent demeanour is India’s desire to increase its global stature, with Modi realizing that the only way to avoid being collared on international forums vis-à-vis Pakistan is to improve relations. The first fruit of the new direction is seen in the announcement during Modi’s visit of the foreign secretaries’ meeting on January 15. This promising development demonstrates that even personal meetings between premiers are bound to have an impact on the state of relations sooner or later since they overwhelmingly influence the atmospherics and help dissipate the enduring tensions. *