PRESIDENT Obama’s comments on Pakistan in a meeting with the Pakistan ambassador to the US Jalil Abbas Jilani were in keeping with the low-key approach to rebuilding ties: emphasising the security challenges in Pakistan and regionally while also underlining a sustained commitment to Pakistan that goes beyond the old recipe of doling out dollars and aid. While privately neither side accepts that long-standing fundamental divergences on security issues can be bridged entirely, there has been a joint effort for a while now to focus on the doables and areas in which cooperation is in the interest of both sides. So, perhaps most obvious is that publicly at the moment drones have stopped firing their missiles into Fata for several weeks now as the PML-N-led government presses ahead with its bid for talks with the outlawed TTP.Yet, the only real metric of success in 2014 will be the handling of the security and political situation in Afghanistan. On Afghanistan, both the US and Pakistan have demonstrated a growing closeness — at least in terms of what’s come to be known as a ‘stable, prosperous, united and independent’ Afghanistan as the end goal.

However, a growing understanding between the US and Pakistan, as welcome as it may be, still leaves much to be done — particularly convincing the Afghan polity that outsiders do not really want to fundamentally shape the destiny once again of their war-blighted country. On that — convincing the Afghan leaders and people of the bona fides and minimum-interference intentions — there is clearly much work to be done still. For Pakistan itself, also important is to have a long-term approach to the relationship with the US. Much as 2014 is important and stability in Afghanistan vital, Pakistan has other interests that it should also pursue. On top of that list ought to be a switch from an aid-dependent economy to one with growing trade links regionally and internationally. The GSP Plus trade benefits with Europe are already showing what is possible when trade diplomacy is taken seriously. The US has long talked about extending trade concessions and facilitating Pakistani exports to the US, but because of congressional difficulties, not much has come of it so far. Perhaps a trade deal could be President Obama’s lasting contribution to the Pak-US relationship.