Prof. D. Mukherjee
mukhopadhyay.dinabandhu@gmail.com
The Taliban’s return to power in August 2021, after the U.S. withdrawal under the Doha Accord, transformed South Asia’s strategic and emotional landscape. For Mother India, this demanded careful recalibration of Afghan policy, balancing security with historic ties. India-Afghanistan relations transcend politics, rooted in civilizational continuity and cultural affinity, exemplified by Tagore’s Kabuliwala. Yet, Pakistan’s interventions since 1947 have exploited Afghan territory to harm India through terror and subversion. The Taliban’s resurgence brings both risk and opportunity. With some leaders tied to Pakistan, Bharat Mata must engage cautiously, guided by prudence and ‘VasudhaivaKutumbakam’, acting as a guardian to foster regional stability.This discourse arises from India’s reflection, balancing history and strategy with wisdom. Its aim is to reassess policy toward Taliban-ruled Afghanistan while reaffirming her civilizational duty. Having faced Pakistan’s manipulations and Afghan fighters’ misuse, India seeks a path that safeguards her children and preserves ties with Afghans. Drawing lessons from the past and interpreting Kabul’s intentions, her engagement must blend realism with moral conviction-compassionate yet vigilant, principled yet strategic-ensuring regional stability, global harmony, and the welfare of humanity remain central.
India’s engagement with Afghanistan during the 1980s and 1990s left enduring scars. Under the guise of Islamic solidarity, Pakistan’s ISI turned the Mujahideen into instruments of cross-border terror, many later targeting India, particularly in the Kashmir Valley, causing loss of life and uprooting communities. The tragedies of victims like Sarla Bhat reflect this betrayal. For Mother India, the lesson is clear: trust must be earned through deeds, not words. Pakistan has long exploited Afghan instability to undermine India. Yet, India’s post-2001 development efforts-roads, schools, hospitals, and dams-built genuine goodwill among Afghans. As the Taliban seeks legitimacy, India must ensure her compassion is guided by prudence, keeping strategic engagement insulated from Pakistan’s deceptive influence.
The October 2025 visit of Taliban Foreign Minister Amir Khan Muttaqi to India, approved by the UN on medical grounds, has significant diplomatic weight. His meetings with Deobandi scholars and madrasa representatives raise questions: is this genuine outreach to Bharat Mata or Pakistan’s influence? Facing economic isolation and internal divisions, the Taliban sees India as opportunity and necessity. Mother India must respond with cautious optimism-opening humanitarian and cultural channels while conditioning formal recognition on Kabul’s commitment to peace, inclusivity, and preventing terrorism. Diplomacy must remain calm, firm, and discerning.The October 17, 2025 Pakistani airstrike in Afghanistan, reportedly guided by Sirajuddin Haqqani, highlights growing Islamabad-Kabul tensions. Civilian casualties reflect Taliban defiance of Pakistan. For India, it shows deceitful alliances fail and offers a chance to engage Kabul independently. Yet instability risks refugee flows, arms smuggling, and renewed extremist activity along western borders. Bharat Mata must act with empathy and vigilance, using platforms like the UN and SCO to support Afghan sovereignty, condemn Pakistan, and reinforce her strategic and moral stabilizing role.
To counter Pakistan’s disruptive ambitions, Mother India envisions the AII Axis linking Afghanistan, India, and Iran-a corridor of trade, energy, and cooperation bypassing Pakistan. The Chabahar Port, co-developed by India and Iran, offers Afghanistan reconstruction opportunities and India access to Central Asia. With Tehran seeking revival and Kabul striving for legitimacy, Bharat Mata finds strategic partners. Her diplomacy, rooted in non-alignment and respect, can make this alliance a model of pragmatic peace, weaving history, commerce, and culture to stabilize the region and curb extremism. India’s diplomatic strength lies in balancing faith with freedom. Across the Muslim world, she champions democracy, tolerance, and respect, exposing Pakistan’s misuse of religion. The Indonesian President’s UN call for coexistence and rejection of extremism aligns with India’s vision. By strengthening ties with Indonesia, Saudi Arabia, the UAE, and other progressive nations, Bharat Mata counters Pakistan’s duplicity. Simultaneously, she engages the United States strategically, preserving autonomy, isolating extremism, and promoting peace, pluralism, and principled diplomacy globally.
At this pivotal moment, India must draw on centuries of wisdom to secure a humane and stable future. The Taliban’s return compels action with conviction, guiding engagement through humanitarian compassion tempered by strategic foresight. Her heart urges outreach to the Afghan people, while her mind insists that trust be earned. She must restore selective diplomatic and developmental links, strengthen regional intelligence cooperation, and advance the AII Axis with Iran and Afghanistan to counter Pakistan. Championing Afghan women, minorities, and displaced communities, Mother India can transform turmoil into opportunity, fostering peace that inspires, balances security with compassion, and nurtures hope across South Asia.The Taliban’s return in August 2021, after the U.S. withdrawal under the Doha Accord, reshaped South Asia’s strategic and cultural landscape. For India, this requires recalibrating Afghan policy with prudence and empathy. India-Afghanistan ties, rooted in civilizational continuity-from Buddhist monks to Tagore-reflect deep cultural affinity. Yet, Pakistan’s interference complicates this bond. As the Taliban seeks legitimacy, India must balance compassion with caution, embodying maternal benevolence and sovereign strength- embodiment of ‘VasudhaivaKutumbakam’.
Present imperative arises from India’s introspection, observing a region where history shapes current politics. Her goal is not only to revise policy toward Taliban-ruled Afghanistan but to balance cultural ties with national security. Having endured Pakistan’s manipulations and the misuse of Afghan fighters, Bharat Mata seeks a strategy grounded in ethics and experience. She aims to protect her children, uphold moral dignity, and maintain bonds with Afghans. Her diplomacy blends wisdom, firmness, and fairness, learning from past pain to foster peace, trust, and justice.India’s engagement with Afghanistan in the 1980s and 1990s reflects betrayal and resilience. Pakistan exploited religion to arm and fund Mujahideen, later turning them into instruments of terror, especially in Jammu and Kashmir. Tragedies like Sarla Bhat’s symbolize deep wounds. Yet, post-2001, Bharat Mata chose healing over revenge-building roads, schools, hospitals, and the Salma Dam. Her humanitarian approach contrasts Pakistan’s deceit. The lesson remains: compassion must be paired with vigilance, strategic yet empathetic, patient yet purposeful.
The axis of Afghanistan, India, and Iran(AII). This triad would transcend trade and energy cooperation to offset Pakistan’s destabilizing ambitions. The Chabahar Port, jointly developed by India and Iran, embodies this strategic vision, offering Afghanistan maritime access beyond Pakistan’s reach. As Iran seeks recovery and Afghanistan strives for growth, Bharat Mata can serve as the cohesive force uniting both. Functioning transparently and within global norms, this alliance must reflect confidence and self-reliance, turning historical ties and shared aspirations into a framework that converts regional divides into pathways of cooperation .India’s diplomacy must harmonize spiritual empathy with strategic clarity. Engaging the Muslim world, she champions democracy, tolerance, and inclusivity-values exposing Pakistan’s deceit and reflecting her civilizational spirit. The Indonesian President’s UN call for coexistence and rejection of extremism aligns with her pluralist ideals.
By strengthening ties with Indonesia, the UAE, Saudi Arabia, and other reform-minded Islamic nations, Mother India can marginalize terror cloaked in faith while maintaining balanced engagement with the United States to safeguard autonomy. Through dialogue, trade, and cultural diplomacy, her influence fosters cooperation, counters propaganda, and promotes stability without domination. At this historic juncture, India stands as witness and guide, drawing on her timeless civilization. The Taliban’s return to Kabul demands blending compassion with caution, balancing maternal warmth with sovereign resolve. Her outreach to Afghanistan must combine empathy and strategy-reviving development, dialogue, and security cooperation. The AII Axis should progress through diplomacy and mutual growth, not coercion. Guided by conscience, India must defend Afghan women, minorities, and refugees, practising peace with firmness to transform uncertainty into stability, leading South Asia with compassion, wisdom, and principled influence rather than dominance.’The soul of India is ancient, yet ageless; wounded, yet unbroken.Her wisdom does not seek dominance, only balance; her strength lies in compassion, not conquest.’
(The columnist is a Bangalore based educationist, management scientist and independent researcher)
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