AMERICA’S relations with the Muslim world suffered a crippling blow under the Bush administration and the wounds will take time to heal. The invasion of Afghanistan was opposed in some quarters but few in Pakistan or elsewhere denied that America had been provoked into retaliation. But the Iraq war was different, an occupation based on lies that fomented anti-US sentiment even amongst moderate and liberal Muslims. The mass killing of Iraqi civilians and the terrible crimes committed at Abu Ghraib convinced many that those calling the shots in Washington saw Muslims as less than human. Resented almost as much as America’s brutality was its arrogance. If Gen Musharraf is to be believed, Pakistan was threatened that it would be bombed into the Stone Age if Islamabad did not cooperate in the ‘war on terror.’ Anybody not with the US was, in effect, against it. American politicians and emissaries descended on Islamabad when they wished, with or without invitation, and carried themselves like neocolonial masters, not allies.

That’s heavy baggage, a burden the Obama administration must bear for the folly of others. But a new start seems to have been made, at least in terms of attitude. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton’s recent visit presented Pakistanis with a more human face of America, something the Bush White House could not accomplish on account of the hubris that dictated its every move. Ms Clinton visited a university and fielded questions from sceptical (if not borderline hostile) students wary of America’s commitment to Pakistan. How often do students here get to grill the US secretary of state? Besides the civilian and military leadership, she met parliamentarians and tribal elders, and even went to the police lines headquarters in Islamabad to pay tribute to policemen killed in terrorist attacks. True it was a charm offensive, which is by definition a contrived exercise. But surely that is preferable to condescension and uninformed dictation of terms.

It was acknowledged that the trust deficit is mutual, felt not just in the US but also in Pakistan. Ms Clinton stressed that it was time for a new era of honesty and trust. She spoke her mind, saying she wasn’t here for just ‘happy talk’ — though it could be said that at least one statement may have been better delivered behind closed doors. The underlying message is this: mistakes have been made by both sides. On our part, the folly of pursuing ‘strategic depth’ in Afghanistan and Kashmir through non-state actors has cost Pakistan dearly. Militants have been both fought and appeased, with disastrous results. The road to new beginnings is a two-way street.