All prime ministers of India since 1947 have attempted good neighbourly relations with Pakistan.
But none has staked so much political and personal prestige as Modi did when he stopped over in Lahore in December 2015 to wish Nawaz Sharif on his birthday.
Alas, the Pakistani PM didn't realise the enormity of Modi's simple but symbolically historic gesture. Barely a week later, the terror attack at the Indian Air Force base in Pathankot gave ammunition to critics to trash his Pakistan policy as naive and disconnected with ground realities.
Attack
The brazen attack on the military base camp in Uri last month that left 19 Indian soldiers dead was the most blatant provocation by Pakistan. They had underestimated Modi's resolve to hit back.