Paradigm Shift in Afghanistan: A Study of the “Af-Pak Strategy” of the United States of America
Mazhar Abbas Khan, Abdul Basit Khan, Ahmad Waqas Makhdoom

Abstract
Because of the policy botch and lack of clear planning, the Bush government in United States (US) left the Afghanistan–Pakistan boundary in skirmish. Meanwhile, the Taliban insurgency arose as a menace for regional safety from Kabul to Islamabad. The succeeding Obama government in US twisted the chance to recalibrate policy towards Afghanistan to suppress the ferocity of violence. In 2009, a new approach labeled as “Af-Pak Strategy” was exposed to reconfigure US commitment wherein the strategy makers interpret the region as one geo-political unit. This means the conflation of two distinct but equivalent conflicts – the insurgency in Afghanistan and belligerency in Pakistan – into one existential threat. The present study intends to explore the details and implications of the said strategy.

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