IT seems as though the US government finally wants to give Islamabad a chance. On Friday, US President Joe Biden wrote to Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif to communicate that Washington continues to stand with Pakistan `to tackle the most pressing global and regional challenges of our time`.

Though quite a few observers noted that the letter itself seemed rather anodyne, others saw it as a major breakthrough considering that the American presidency, ever since it passed from Donald Trump, had avoided engaging directly with Pakistan`s civilian leadership thus far. A good relationship with Washington has been the cornerstone of Pakistan`s foreign policy for decades now, so the American president`s refusal to talk to former prime minister Imran Khan had set off alarm bells in diplomatic circles. Things seemed to have soured considerably after the US forces` messy withdrawal from Afghanistan, and the Pakistani government`s decision to maintain a nonaligned stance in the Russia-Ukraine conflict didn`t help. The `ciphergate` saga, involving a senior State Department official, Donald Lu, only complicated matters. However, the White House has now signalled that it may be ready to move on.

But the contents of the letter also make it clear that Islamabad should not get its hopes up. The letter avoids talking about any of the most pressing crises being faced by Pakistan, which makes it evident that Washington may no longer be as willing to get involved with Pal