As US President Barack Obama begins his second term, speculation has grown as to the US' diplomatic tendencies for the next four years.

As for bilateral relations between the US and Pakistan, efforts to mend them continue. Last year, relations between the two countries remained strained, and prospects for improvement remain dim.

There are a couple of reasons why US-Pakistan relations have been turbulent. The US has always used Pakistan as a means to achieving an objective, and later on that means is disposed of without much attention being paid to it.

Since its independence in 1947 and later during the Cold War, Pakistan was in the Western camp, but with the end of the Cold War, the US disassociated itself from Pakistan and later imposed sanctions against it.

Individuals make societies, and societies make nations. The feelings that a person has are reflected in the national behavior, and similarly the feeling of disassociation was very hard for Pakistanis to swallow. That was the point which laid the foundation for anti-US sentiment.

After the September 11 attack, the dictatorial attitude of the US pushed Pakistan into the war on terror, which resulted in Pakistan becoming the victim of terrorism.

Several other events also created mistrust between Pakistan and the US, including the Abbottabad operation, the Raymond Devis incident and the Salala Incident. After the Salala incident, the US apologized to Pakistan, but that didn't change much between the two countries. Pakistan ceased NATO supplies to Afghanistan, which were resumed after intense international pressure.

The funny part is that the US wants relations with Pakistan based purely on its national interests, but serving Pakistan's interests is unacceptable to the US, while Islamabad has to face severe sanctions and embargoes from Washington.

After all these years, the US has not been able to clearly understand that it also needs Pakistan.

One can scan through the material scattered in Pakistani media about what the Pakistani public thinks of Pakistan-US relations, and one will find terms such as "marriage of convenience," "roller coaster ride," "dubious," and "interest based."

On the other hand, the US press is filled with comments about Pakistan which include "most dangerous country," "failed state," and "safe haven for terrorists."

We are living in an age of information and knowledge, and the US' double standards can no longer fool anybody. People fully understand that the US is not a trusted ally, and we have been deceived by it more than once.

The US must work on building its image in Pakistan, and seriously consider building a sustainable long-term relationship with the country. Through interdependence and mutual respect, both states can cooperate for mutual benefits.

The US is a democratic country; its approach to relations with other countries should also be democratic in nature. Hence, for a long-term sustainable relationship, the US should comprehend and work with the will of the people.

No one in Pakistan wants drone attacks. Pakistani people want friendly relations with Americans, and the US government should try to bring the people of the two countries closer.

The mistrust between the US and Pakistan is based on the wrong, interest-oriented policies of the US government. Washington's policies are responsible for the killing of innocent civilians and military personnel in Pakistan. Anti-US targets the anti-Pakistan policies of the US government, not innocent US citizens.

US policy toward India is another matter of concern for Pakistan. The US is strengthening India's position in Afghanistan, which is sandwiching Pakistan.

Previously, Pakistan's northern borders were safe and there was minimal military deployment there, but due to India-funded attacks on Pakistan from Afghanistan, Islamabad was compelled to deploy its forces on the Afghan border as well.

The unconditional US support for India not only poses a threat to Pakistan, but could plunge the whole region into instability. Peace and stability in Afghanistan require cooperation between Pakistan and the US along with neighboring countries.

The US needs to maintain a balance in its relations with India and Pakistan. Washington's relations with New Delhi should not come at the cost of its relations with Islamabad.

Uncertainty in Pakistan-US relations prevails. Nobody knows when the US will come up with another unwise idea that will push fragile relations and bring it to collapse once again.

The author is a researcher at the Islamabad Policy Research Institute. aftabhussein@hotmail.com