Maj Gen Ashok K Mehta (retd) Military Commentator One New Year resolution the Modi government did not make, one can be sure, is normalising relations with Pakistan — now disrupted for eight years — with whom India has fought four wars and is combating cross-border terrorism (CBT) emanating from that country. Neither the use of force nor diplomacy has resulted in dispute resolution. Gains of war were either frittered away or diplomacy was not sustained enough to produce a durable and interruption-proof framework for dialogue. While previous governments took big risks in mending fences, public opinion and reputational damage of a muscular government have robbed the engagement process of continuity. The Modi government has prematurely exhausted its patience to abandon strategic restraint for a kinetic response. The Uri and Balakot military strikes not only slammed the doors on dialogue but also put SAARC in cold storage.