It seemed to be just another leisurely Christmas afternoon, but then came two tweets from Prime Minister Narendra Modi. The first seemed innocuous enough.

But what followed was totally unexpected.

The external affairs minister added her bit, pointing to how this symbolised exactly the sort of relations that should exist with neighbours.

The news was greeted with immediate endorsement and with almost universal positive reactions, starting with prominent journalists, and commentators.





There were also some questions.


On the Pakistani side, too, the reaction was by and large celebratory and positive, at least among the mainstream English commentariat:




As in India, there were some cynical and discordant political voices in Pakistan too:

The Congress party spokesperson Manish Tewari, too, decided it was not a moment to be gracious:


But others were quick to have some useful reminders for both the Congress and the BJP.

If some of the Bharatiya Janata Party and Modi-supporters were left perplexed by what spin to put on the sudden move, there were others around to rub it in:


But some of the supporters and sympathisers of the prime minister rallied around.



The jousting continued as others too joined in.



As the news sank in and registered, however, there were more sober and realistic reflections too.


As also, of course, conspiracy theories and speculation:

Former Jammu and Kashmir Omar Abdullah, however, summed up the surprise move best:


And since Twitter never misses an opportunity to crack a joke or two, there was plenty more to add to the Christmas cheer.