Vijay Hashia
India and Afghanistan share ancient civilizational ties rooted in the Indus Valley, Gandhara, Buddhism, Sufism, art, and trade; connected through Persian and Indo-Afghan cultures, colonial struggles, modern education, and humanitarian links. This enduring bond reflects their shared spirituality, values, and deep emotional friendship across ages.
The recent diplomatic closeness with Afghanistan under the Taliban regime shows how international relations often depend more on strategy than diplomacy and shared values. Even though the Taliban do not represent a democratic government, India has chosen a path of dialogue and cautious engagement. This relationship is not based on political similarity, but on history, geography and regional interests.
India has invested over $3 billion in more than 500 projects across Afghanistan since 2001, following the fall of Taliban regime and establishment of the new Afghan government. These include roads, power lines, schools, hospitals, and the new Afghan Parliament building. Thousands of Afghan students have received scholarships to study in India, and many Afghan officers have been trained in Indian institutions. Because of this long support, the Afghan public generally views India positively. India’s development work created goodwill that it wants to preserve, even now when the Taliban are in power.
Fast Rewind
India’s earlier relations with the Taliban were openly hostile. When the Taliban first ruled from 1996 to 2001, India shut down its embassy in Kabul and refused to recognize their government. Only Pakistan, Saudi Arabia, and the UAE had official ties with the Taliban at that time. India instead supported the Northern Alliance, the anti-Taliban group that resisted their rule. After the U.S. led war in 2001 removed the Taliban from power, India reopened its embassy and became one of Afghanistan’s biggest supporters. It helped rebuild infrastructure, supported democracy, and trained Afghan security and civil officials.
But when the Taliban took back Kabul in 2021 after the U.S. withdrawal, India lost most of its investments and influence. The fall of the Afghan government was a major diplomatic setback, allowing Pakistan and China to gain ground.
Still, India did not cut ties completely. It reopened a technical mission in Kabul about ten months later and now upgrades it to a full embassy. This is not recognition of the Taliban government but a practical step to protect India’s interests and development projects in Afghanistan.
A changing regional picture
After the Taliban returned to power in August 2021, the political scene around Afghanistan changed quickly. Relations between Afghanistan and Pakistan worsened, mainly because Pakistan accuses the Taliban of allowing anti-Pakistan groups like the Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) to operate from Afghan soil. Pakistan even carried out airstrikes inside Afghanistan in (Paktika province) in December 2024, killing 46 civilians, including women and children and again recently on October 9, 2025 targeting Khost, Jalalabad and Paktika during Afghan Foreign Minister Amir Muttaqi’s visit to New Delhi.
Why Afghanistan matters to India?
India’s interest in Afghanistan is economic and geographic. Afghanistan is the gateway to Central Asia, a region rich in oil, gas, and other resources. But because Pakistan has blocked Indian goods from crossing its land, India has no direct route to reach Central Asia. To solve this problem, India has been trading with Central Asia through Indian developed Chabahar Port in Iran, part of the India-Iran-Afghanistan corridor. This strategic route bypasses Pakistan’s Karachi and Gwadar port, enabling Indian goods to reach Afghanistan and Central Asia directly without transiting through Pakistan. For this plan to work smoothly, Afghanistan needs to be stable and cooperative. So, keeping some relationship with the government in Kabul, whatever its political form is important for India’s larger connectivity goals.
However, this engagement brings up serious ethical questions. The Taliban’s government is not democratic. It has banned girls from schools and women from most jobs, restricted media freedom, and ruled through fear. Can a democracy like India justify friendly relations with such a regime? This is the central dilemma. Nevertheless, completely avoiding the Taliban would isolate Afghanistan even more and possibly push it much closer to China or Pakistan. On the other hand, engaging with them too warmly could make India seem like it accepts their repressive rule.
India has, therefore, chosen a middle path, limited engagement. India’s policy toward the Taliban may seem unusual for a democracy, but it reflects beyond world diplomacy. Sometimes, maintaining influence requires engagement even with undemocratic powers. India’s careful, step-by-step approach aims to ensure that Afghanistan remains a friend, not a threat. Let the channels of communication stay open and flow with diplomatic sensitivity. The hope is that talking to the Taliban can encourage them to behave more responsibly and ensure that Afghan soil is not used for terrorism against India.
The Taliban, in turn, are eager for international recognition. They know that improving their image, especially by allowing women to work and study again, could help them gain that recognition. India’s engagement, even if limited, gives the Taliban a reason to make gradual internal reforms.
The recent outreach
In the recent past during 2025, the Taliban began to express a strong desire to rebuild ties with India. The acting Foreign Minister, Amir Khan Muttaqi, publicly thanked India for sending humanitarian aid after a devastating earthquake in Aug 2025 that killed over 2,000 people. He also said Afghanistan would not allow its territory to be used for anti-India activities. These statements were important because they came at a time when Pakistan has been attacking Afghan border areas. The Taliban’s promise of neutrality and peace with India marks a notable shift in their tone.
Muttaqi’s visit to India is a symbolically important. The UN temporarily lifted travel restrictions to allow him to attend meetings in India, showing that even the international community saw the trip as significant. For the Taliban, it meant a step toward legitimacy; for India, it meant a chance to protect its regional interests through direct dialogue and for Pak, it meant a potential setback in its influence over Afghanistan.
Between realism and idealism
India’s dealings with the Taliban show how foreign policy often requires a mix of moral values and practical thinking. As a democracy, India supports freedom and human rights. But as a regional power, it must also think about security, trade, and influence. If India isolates Afghanistan, it risks losing all influence to others. But if it engages carefully, it can help guide Afghanistan toward moderation while protecting its own security. This approach is not about approval but about presence and balance.
India’s leaders understand that diplomacy is not always about liking a government, it is about managing realities. In this case, the reality is that the Taliban control Afghanistan, and ignoring them would only weaken India’s position.
India’s engagement with Kabul today is based on strategic need, not shared political values. It hopes to, prevent terrorism from spreading from Afghan soil; protect its investments and humanitarian projects; keep China and Pakistan from dominating the region, and maintain access to Central Asian trade routes.
This new relationship is not built on democracy, but on mutual pragmatism. Both sides know they need each other. Afghanistan needs India’s economic and diplomatic support, while India needs stability and security in its neighborhood.
vijayhashia hashia <vijayhashia@hotmail.com>
to: “edit@dailyexcelsior.com” <edit@dailyexcelsior.com>,
“editor@dailyexcelsior.com” <editor@dailyexcelsior.com>,
“neerajr@dailyexcelsior.com” <neerajr@dailyexcelsior.com>
date: Oct 11, 2025, 1:19 PM
Follow our WhatsApp channel
