Islamabad, Pakistan – This afternoon I had the opportunity to sit down with this country’s Foreign Minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi.  I’ve been waiting weeks for this interview.  With the second visit this week of the new front man for the Obama administration seasoned diplomat Ambassador Richard Holbrooke, the dedicated envoy for Pakistan/Afghanistan, I was eager to hear the Foreign Minister’s thoughts about the new American strategy for the region.

Washington’s inner circles now refer to the region as AfPak, a title Qureshi does not appreciate.  “We have issues with this terminology.  We feel that we are two different countries with a different history and a different evolution. There are commonalities but we are distinct in many ways,” he said.

But one thing the two countries do share, a steady increase in terrorist attacks. Something the Foreign Minister admits is not going to get better anytime soon as his country is in a state of war, “All experts are of the opinion that it will deteriorate before it improves.”

The biggest sore spot for the Pakistani government right now are the US drone attacks in the tribal areas.  The Pakistani people and government view them as a breech of Pakistan’s sovereignty and it inflames anti-US sentiment they say.

I asked Qureshi if it bothers him that US officials do not publicly acknowledge the attacks. “Drone attacks, that’s a fact.  People are being hit by missiles.  People see bodies, people see women and children maimed.  People want to know how many high value targets you have achieved through these drone attacks and how many innocent people have been killed.  There was an article today that for 10 Al Qaida operatives, over 700 people were killed.  What justification do you have for that?”

Despite that, the Foreign Minister still had some positive/diplomatic comments about the meetings this week.  “Just because we don’t agree on everything does not mean the meetings were bad.”

Many here who viewed Holbrooke’s visit, who was accompanied by Chairman of the Joint Chiefs Admiral Mike Mullen, said it appeared a bit chilly.  In fact, the head of Pakistani intelligence service (ISI) refused a separate meeting with the two American visitors, only attending a general meeting. The snub was possibly a reaction to media reports quoting American officials saying that there are some ISI connections to the militants.

No doubt the drone attack issue will top the agenda when Qureshi goes to Washington in early May and that trust between the two countries will continue to be a work in progress.  As trust, Qureshi said, is the key to any relationship.