The world waits to see what President Trump’s South Asia Strategy would entail. Will it focus on the AfPak region, on India, trade with key South Asian countries, or will it encompass in it the entire South Asian region? THE rules of political and diplomatic engagement for the US could shift in relation to Afghanistan and Pakistan. The AfPak region has been the cause of disagreement, to say the least, for the present and past US administrations. However, recently, the US National Security Adviser Lieutenant General Herbert Raymond McMaster hinted at the Trump administration drafting a policy with a focus on Afghanistan and Pakistan, the AfPak region. After entering the White House as the 45th US President, Donald Trump, repeatedly emphasized that his policies will concentrate on Afghanistan. Pakistan’s diplomatic stance with the US might shift now that Washington aims at focusing on Kabul. While talking to a press briefing at the White House, Lt Gen McMaster said, “…here is an opportunity for a much more effective strategy for the problem set in Afghanistan, Pakistan, and the region broadly.” Moreover, earlier in 2017, during congressional hearings, General John Nicholson, commander of US forces in Afghanistan, did request a “few thousand” more US troops to be sent to the US. At present, nearly 8,300 US troops along with 4,200 to 4,500 NATO troops are stationed in Afghanistan. If the US administration sends additional troops, the extremist factions Afghanistan in hiding could surface in retaliation. This may not bode well for Pakistan, as the refugee crisis may once again emerge resulting in a refugee spillover into Pakistan or in adjoining Iran. Furthermore, President Trump recently delegated US Defence Secretary James Mattis with the responsibility to increase US troops in Iraq and Syria. Augmenting US troops in war zones such as Iraq, Syria and now Afghanistan will have regional complications with much retribution, vengeance, and retaliation coming from the rebel forces in these war-torn countries. US administration’s new strategy for Afghanistan and Pakistan, as the US Defence Secretary, James Mattis, opined, will have a regional context. It will change how the US military has been engaging in Afghanistan with influential impact on Pakistan and perhaps on other South Asian countries. One wonders how Washington will view its ties with Indian under this new strategy encompassing South Asia. Recently, Indian Prime Minister, Narendra Modi’s historic visit to Israel did bring out new frontiers of agreements between New Delhi and Tel Aviv. Washington would certainly be wondering how to bolsters its ties with India. Perhaps, this may create a bloc comprising the US-India-Israel nexus to counter the emerging block of Pakistan-China with Russia also taking sides with Islamabad and Beijing. Furthermore, in June 2017 when Prime Minister Modi met with US President, it did silence the doubts brewing up concerning their relations. A friendship between India and the US may as well take out India from the Washington-South Asia equation and may leave the rest of South Asian region in front of Washington’s austere foreign policies. Perhaps, without using force to exert plans on Pakistan, Washington must bring challenges, expectations, and concerns between Pakistan to the table. A discussion involving foreign ministers of US, Afghanistan, and Pakistan must take place in the near future to discuss the way forward, which implies additional US troops arriving in Afghanistan and how this will affect each of these three country’s bilateral and diplomatic ties with each other. The world waits to see what President Trump’s South Asia Strategy would entail. Will it focus on the AfPak region, on India, trade with key South Asian countries, or will it encompass in it the entire South Asian region? Doubts and scepticism are also on the rise now that the US foreign policy is gradually shifting its focus from the Middle East to South Asia. While President Trump has been judgmental over Pakistan’s stance against the war on terror, the US Secretary of Defence, however, is expected to release funds to Pakistan after gaining substantial evidence that Islamabad is not harbouring terrorists by providing their networks with financial, military or logistics aids. Moreover, in the recent past, India has gradually inched itself in Washington’s good books, especially after the US Department of Defence and State Department, on the orders of the US Congress, augmented security and defence cooperation with India. With India-US bloc now an imminent reality with India-Israel relations also strengthening, it will surely reshape Washington’s foreign policy with Pakistan, Afghanistan and the rest of South Asia. To what extent will this reshape the complexion of the US-South Asia political structure is yet to be seen. The writer is an author and a columnist Published in Daily Times, Jully 27nd , 2017.