Good Morning Islamabad!

Six American journalists have arrived in Islamabad as the Parliament here is debating the future of US-Pakistan relations. It's one of the top stories on the morning TV news. Pakistan's president has met with President Obama in South Korea, and top military officials from both countries are meeting for the first time since a US airstrike killed 24 Pakistani troops along the border with Afghanistan in November.

As we began a series of meetings in the capital, nearly everyone told us that US-Pakistan relations are at a low point. Pakistanis feel they have paid a high price for the war on terror, while Americans may question how much they can trust Pakistan as a post-9/11 ally. For a reminder of the tension, we needed to look no further than the entrance to our hotel, the Marriott which was bombed in 2008. Today the hotel's website boasts of its bomb-proof glass. Security officers checked under the hood of our van and scanned our belongings every time we came in. But it's not just a hassle for the foreigners staying at the Marriott; there were checkpoints all over the city. Pakistanis also have to endure several power blackouts a day due to fuel shortages,  and the country's economy is reeling from the war on terror, which has scared businesses away.

Our first stop was PILDAT, the Pakistan Institute of Legislative Development and Transparency. This organization is the sponsoring partner of our journalism exchange, along with the East-West Center in Hawaii. PILDAT's director, Ahmed Bilal Mehboob, was surprisingly upbeat. Pakistan, he said is "enjoying its finest period of democracy" since its founding in 1947. He singled out the activist judiciary and the feisty, independent media, particularly the privately owned broadcast channels, as bright spots. Looking ahead to 2013, he said, "The next election is critical. If it takes place and it's a fair election we will have made a great leap forward."

Of course, there are plenty of pressures that could push Pakistan in the other direction. In the middle of the meeting at 11:05 a.m., the power went out. Mr. Mehboob didn't skip a beat as he outlined the issues that are dividing the two countries. Pakistan wants an apology for the deaths of the troops killed on the border and an end to anti-terrorist drone strikes that also kill civilians. The US wants to resume supply convoys that travel through Pakistan to reach NATO troops in Afghanistan. Pakistan wants an energy pipeline from Iran, while the US is trying to isolate Iran to discourage its nuclear program. Pakistan already has nuclear weapons pointed at its nuclear-armed neighbor, India, in a standoff of mutually assured destruction. India also has a program to develop civilian nuclear power, but because of concerns about security, the US has not endorsed a similar effort for energy-starved Pakistan. Pakistan spends billions in aid money from the US, while resenting the strings that are attached to American taxpayers' money. US policymakers would like to feel a little more love after being the world's biggest donor to Pakistani earthquake and flood relief.

Later in the day we zipped passed the Parliament building and saw members of an Islamist party demonstrating against the US. But in addition to a long list of divisive issues, we also received an overdose of Pakistan's legendary hospitality. Beginning with PILDAT, we were served coffee, tea and snacks at nearly every meeting we attended. We also experienced a mountaintop restaurant with a group of forward-thinking Pakistanis and American ex-pats. We were surrounded by festive groups of locals enjoying lavish grills of meat, the essential ingredient in the Pakistani diet. Looking out at the view of the lights below, we could have been in the Hollywood Hills looking over the LA basin. Except that it was Pakistan, a land of contrast and contradiction that we have only begun to explore.