Pakistan-US relationship has seen better days as US aid to Pakistan shrinks amidst heightened tensions. While the cancellation of the F-16 deal marked the beginning of the downward spiral, the underling dynamics of US-Pak relationship had been moving in this direction long before that. Pakistan’s growing inclination towards China, rise of India as a regional power, and the increasing threat of Afghan Taliban to the stability in Afghanistan were all factors that sidelined Pakistan from the central position of strategic importance that it once enjoyed. The main US concern, however, remains the elimination of terrorist networks that target Afghanistan. After all, the US wishes to have something to hold up as a consolation prize for its protracted war in Afghanistan. Unfortunately, Pakistan’s foreign policy has been woefully inadequate in this regard as it has failed to defend itself against allegations of sponsoring cross-border terrorism. Whether it is India that constantly levels these allegations against Pakistan and refuses to talk about anything but terrorism or the United States that has always pressured Pakistan to do more and target the Haqqani network, it seems that Pakistan has been stigmatised in the international community as a country involved in terrorism. The latest accusation came from the President of Afghanistan Ashraf Ghani following the attack on American University in Kabul on Thursday as the Afghan president claimed that the attack was “organised and orchestrated” from Pakistan. While the veracity of all these allegations on Pakistan must be questioned as there are vested interests that wish to undermine Pakistan’s position, the country should also engage in introspection and see where it failed so badly that other countries can so easily point their fingers at Pakistan for terrorist attacks that take place there. All of those games that were played by certain individuals in the avenues of power that proved to be destructive for Pakistan should be used as lessons to never repeat them again. It is not the case that ordinary Pakistanis are involved in terrorist activities throughout the world. In fact, they are just like any other citizens who work hard and earn a living to make their ends meet. However, the world continues to look at Pakistanis with apprehension and consider them to be troubled products of a supposedly troubled country. It is immensely unfortunate that Pakistani passport remains one of the worst ranked in the world, and except for a handful of countries, Pakistani passport holders no longer get visa on arrival. All of this necessitates a shift in Pakistan’s position both at the regional and the international level. Cross-border terrorism is a regional phenomenon with transnational networks. For this Pakistan would have to be willing to address other countries’ security concerns so that a joint operation could be launched against terrorists spread throughout the region who perpetrate attacks within Pakistan and outside it. This is not to say that there are no differences within terrorist organisations, there indeed are groups with varying aims; however, all of them must be equally condemned as they carry out attacks and kill innocent civilians. Moreover, while addressing the internal problems of the country, a rebranding of Pakistan’s image is required so that this association with terrorism can be completely shed. Along with a full time foreign minister, Pakistan needs a robust foreign policy campaign that conveys to the international community Pakistan’s commitment of fighting terrorism and its avowal to work for its inner stability on all levels. Many innocent Pakistanis have lost their lives because of this scourge, and the world needs to know that Pakistanis are against violence and extremism. After all, it would be grossly unfair if Pakistanis fight this menace at home and, instead of getting support from the international community, they are mistrusted for their motives. *