Washington is quietly reassessing its strategic approach in South Asia, placing renewed importance on Pakistan in a move that could reshape US ties with both India and China, The Diplomat — an online international news magazine said in a report.
The report said, in a subtle but far-reaching recalibration of South Asia policy, the United States is quietly re-engaging Pakistan in ways that mark a departure from its longstanding India-first approach. The shift, while gradual and largely under the radar, has the potential to reshape regional dynamics — with significant implications for US ties with India, China’s regional influence, and the future of Indo-Pacific security.
While critics often reduce President Donald Trump’s foreign policy to erratic tweets and transactional diplomacy, US officials and analysts warn against oversimplification. The evolving strategy, they argue, reflects deeper structural changes in Washington’s global posture, particularly in how it manages strategic competition with China.
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It said for much of the post-9/11 era, successive US administrations had sought to deepen security and economic ties with India while limiting engagement with Pakistan. That posture was driven by two broad trends: a growing sense of frustration with Islamabad’s role in Afghanistan, and India’s rising value as a counterweight to China in the Indo-Pacific, the report noted.
These twin factors allowed Washington to scale back involvement with Pakistan — a move that also appeased New Delhi’s longstanding sensitivities over American security cooperation with Islamabad, the report added.
However, the Trump administration’s evolving worldview has since brought that formula into question. According to US officials, Pakistan is no longer viewed merely through the lens of Afghanistan or terrorism, but rather as a strategically positioned state with assets critical to Washington’s new objectives.
The Diplomat, which focused on politics within the Indo-Pacific region, also emphasized that one such asset is Pakistan’s vast, untapped deposits of copper and gold — among the largest in the world — currently being developed by a Canadian mining company. The project is reportedly seeking a G7-backed financing package, which US policymakers are eager to support to prevent China from asserting control over the reserves, the diplomat said in the report.
“We cannot afford to let a Chinese flag fly over Pakistan’s critical mineral assets,” one US official reportedly said, underscoring the security dimension behind economic engagement.
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The report emphasized that the Trump administration increasingly views economic investment as a tool of geopolitical influence. In this case, supporting G7 financing in Pakistan is not just about minerals, but about preempting a potential Chinese military or logistical footprint in Gwadar.
Alongside economic factors, the regional security equation has also evolved. In May 2025, a brief but alarming conflict broke out between India and Pakistan, involving cross-border drone and missile strikes. The confrontation raised fears of nuclear escalation and prompted urgent diplomatic intervention from Washington, which successfully brokered a ceasefire, the report noted.
US Secretary of State Marco Rubio publicly praised both Prime Ministers — Narendra Modi and Shehbaz Sharif — for agreeing to resume talks “on a broad set of issues at a neutral site.” The White House described the ceasefire as a testament to American diplomatic leverage in moments of regional crisis.
However, the report said that Washington’s recalibration is not merely reactive. It is also based on a shifting assessment of India’s capacity to fulfill its expected role in the Indo-Pacific. US officials believe India is likely to remain preoccupied with its northern front — particularly the disputed Himalayan border with China — making it harder for New Delhi to allocate resources toward naval and maritime ambitions.
In contrast, Pakistan has signaled an interest in stability. In February 2021, then-Army Chief General Qamar Javed Bajwa surprised many observers by calling on India and Pakistan to “bury the past and move forward.” The overture coincided with the renewal of the Line of Control ceasefire and, according to the report, was meant to ease strategic pressure on India’s northern flank as tensions with China spiked in Ladakh.
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Yet Islamabad believes that its overtures were ignored — or worse, exploited. Pakistani officials allege that India responded with a covert campaign inside Balochistan and cross-border assassination operations — a charge New Delhi denies.
Still, US policymakers are reportedly less convinced that continued disengagement is sustainable. The report said that prevailing wisdom in Washington — which long argued against any American role in India-Pakistan disputes — is being re-evaluated. With China’s influence expanding and nuclear tensions rising, sitting on the sidelines is no longer seen as a viable option.
This emerging posture has irritated Indian officials, who view any US involvement in subcontinental disputes as a violation of their strategic autonomy. But in Washington’s eyes, a purely India-centric approach now risks undermining broader regional goals, including countering Beijing and ensuring stability in West Asia.
“For years, India grew comfortable with a US posture that deferred to its regional priorities. That era is over,” the diplomat said in the report.
The report concluded by warning that continued hostility between India and Pakistan threatens US interests on both land and sea. Without normalization, India’s utility as a maritime partner is diminished, while Pakistan risks drifting further into China’s orbit — reducing Washington’s influence across the region.
