They loved us back in the day. When my family visited my mother's Pakistani hometown of Lahore in 1974, our relatives gazed upon us as that rarest of breeds — those who had found success in America. They would whisper about us in awed tones.

My title for this piece is intentionally ambiguous, because the relationship between the United States and Pakistan is utterly ambiguous. It could refer to Washington leaders saying, “Sorry that we violated your sovereignty to kill Osama bin Laden, but we still want to be friends.” Or it could refer to Americans saying, “We know some of your conservatives are sad to lose Osama, but we still want want to be friends.”

Over the past ten years since 9/11, event after event in and outside Afghanistan has overshadowed the need to connect with the Afghan people and to deliver on their basic expectations for peace, justice, and prosperity. Even though NATO member-states increasingly appreciate the importance of public diplomacy at home and abroad, they have largely faltered to engage and listen to the Afghan people on how to secure Afghanistan.

In the past few days, India-based journalists have found it impossible to get a visa to go to Pakistan and cover the fallout of the U.S. raid that killed Osama bin Laden.But a complaint on Twitter by NDTV’s Barkha Dutt got the attention of the Pakistani establishment and now Islamabad is loosening up.

Indian army chief told reporters that India had the capability to carry out a similar strike on Pakistan, inserting itself into the row between the U.S. and Pakistan. Pakistan acknowledges militants are a greater threat, but India remains Enemy Number One, and public diplomacy reflects that.

Life after Osama bin Laden, whatever cold comfort it brings to Americans, comes with the stifling stench of betrayal for the world’s most dysfunctional allies.

Cricket diplomacy between Pakistan and India has seemingly opened floodgates for other sports as well as a strong Indian judo squad is expected to feature in the South Asian Judo Championship penciled in for May 9 to 14 in Islamabad.

Traditional diplomatic interactions used to be the norm when building ties, but now a new paradigm has emerged where cultural and public diplomacy have become increasingly important.