Bridging Divides

Amid the shifting sands of global geopolitics in the last two years, India in 2025 has come up with a bold step forward in its foreign policy by recalibrating its engagement with Afghanistan’s interim Taliban government.

On January 08, 2025, a high-profile meeting between Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri and the Taliban’s acting Foreign Minister Amir Khan Muttaqi took place in Dubai. It highlights India’s strategic and calculated efforts to maintain relations and influence in Afghanistan while addressing and keeping its focus on security concerns. This engagement took place when the Pakistan and Afghanistan relationships are deteriorating and China’s growing footprint in the South Asia region continues to grow.

India and Afghanistan Relations

India and Afghanistan share a relationship soaked in history, marked by cultural, economic, and strategic ties. From the trade routes of the Silk Road in ancient times to shared heritage in art, music, and cuisine, the two nations have long been connected. Those born between the 1950s and 70s have grown up with Afghanistan stories of Kabuliwala or Bollywood Images of strong characters of Pathans in society.

India, despite challenges and deep radicalisation in Afghanistan, has played an important role in maintaining India - Afghanistan people-to-people rapport. India massively invested in modern development in Afghanistan, investing in infrastructure like hospital dams, roads and parliament building. Also played a lead role in providing education, scholarships in admission to Afghan students, supporting the national Cricket team of Afghanistan to reach the international level, and healthcare in past regimes over the last several decades. In the last two decades, India massively invested, amounting to more than US $3 billion-plus in aid.

However, despite such closeness in these ties, differences between the two countries continued to emerge over the years. Particularly during the Taliban’s first regime (1996-2001), when India supported the anti-Taliban Northern Alliance. India’s concerns over terrorism and instability originating from Afghan soil, often linked to Pakistan’s influence, have complicated the relationship between India and Afghanistan.

Though India continues its support to the Afghan people and its commitment to development projects has fostered goodwill, even amidst political challenges and at a time when the relationship between India and Afghanistan was at the lowest ebb, when several Sikhs and Hindus and their religious places where targeted, and even when an Indian photojournalist Danish was killed mercilessly by radicals while on an assignment in Afghanistan.

India has stepped up its engagement with the interim Taliban government in Afghanistan, carefully in baby steps, balancing its national and security interests without granting official recognition.  What began as discreet, low-profile interactions in the early years of the Taliban's second inning of their interim government, has evolved into a more structured engagement as conditions in Afghanistan shifted over the past year, signalling India's cautious yet pragmatic approach.

Media analysts suggest India is keen to protect its years of investment in Afghanistan and viewing this as the right moment to foster ties, avoiding the risk of losing influence. Security remains India's top priority, with a firm stance against allowing anti-Indian terrorist groups to operate from Afghan territory.

India initiated contact with the Taliban shortly after their takeover in August 2021, beginning with a meeting between its ambassador in Qatar and Taliban officials. India also continued attending global international development meetings organised by other countries like Russia over Afghanistan's development.

Indian officials from the Ministry of External Affairs such as J.P. Singh and his team, have fostered a growing relationship, culminating in multiple meetings and the deployment of a technical team to the Indian embassy in Kabul. Opening the technical Indian embassy in Kabul a couple of years ago gave much relief to the people, especially students of Afghanistan studying in Indian universities. Presently, Afghanistan has been demanding more visas from India for Afghan students and traders.

Afghanistan-Pakistan Relations

When the Taliban returned to power in Afghanistan in 2021, Pakistan celebrated it and viewed the regime as a strategic ally and some sort of victory of the Taliban over the U.S. and allied forces. However, over time, the relationship has been marred by deep-seated disagreements. Argumentative issues such as the Durand Line, the disputed border between the two countries and Pakistan’s fencing efforts, rising attacks by the Tehrik-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP), and the mass deportation of Afghan refugees have soured ties.

Pakistan’s airstrikes in Afghanistan’s Paktika province in late 2024, which claimed civilian lives, further strained relations, drawing widespread condemnation, including from India.

The Taliban, in its second tenure, has displayed a degree of autonomy that contrasts with its earlier dependence on Pakistan’s deep state during its first rule (1996-2001).

India’s latest engagement last week with Afghanistan under the Taliban is seen as a blend of security, economic, and geopolitical considerations. The main and primary concern of India, however, continues to remain that Afghan soil does not again become a breeding ground for terrorism targeting India. While the Taliban’s track record on women’s rights remains a point of contention, the group has so far guaranteed the security of Indian interests, including the embassy premises, and has combated the Islamic State Khorasan Province (ISKP), which presently remains an adversary for both the countries.

This meeting in Dubai perhaps marks a leapfrog jump forward in India’s diplomatic engagement and India’s role in South Asia. The Chabahar Port in Iran, that has been massively developed by India, remained a critical component of dialogue between the two countries for Indian trade to Afghanistan through Chabahar. India is looking forward to future development projects like in the past and economic cooperation. The use of Chabahar Port for trade and transit, will not only make an easy trade route for Afghanistan but help India in completing new development projects with much ease. Cricket has also been a major bonding force. India's thorough support of the international Afghanistan cricket team has further enhanced the goodwill and relationship between India and Afghanistan's local population.

India also focused on humanitarian aid, which included food aid, medical supplies, and disaster relief, which continues to rebuild India's image amongst the local population even in challenging circumstances. The relationship continues to evolve slowly.

On the contrary, Pakistan’s influence in Kabul is diminishing not only because of the reset global geopolitics but also because of their growing domestic challenges, economic instability, and internal security threats.

Meanwhile, China, taking advantage of the available political space, has expanded its influence in Afghanistan.  China, under its Belt and Road Initiative (BRI), has increased its footprint in Afghanistan. They are investing in business in urban development and eying on extracting precious minerals from Afghanistan. China is one of the few countries that exchange ambassadors with the Taliban, highlighting its intent to fill the gap that was left quite open after US and allied forces left the country. Russia, entangled in its conflict in Ukraine, has also sought to maintain ties with the Taliban. Moscow has even gone a step further by delisting the Taliban from its banned organisations.

Afghanistan’s humanitarian crisis remains serious, with millions facing shortage of food and limited access to basic services like sanitation, clean drinking water. India, which continued to provide intermittent humanitarian assistance, has been a lifeline for many Afghans. There is indirect trade between Afghan and Indian traders through third countries like Dubai. The ruling Taliban acknowledge India’s developmental contributions.

India’s engagement with the Taliban is a calculated step forward with much thought strategic moves even though, like any other country, India has yet to extend Afghanistan's present government a formal recognition.

However, the beginning of the senior officials and ministers' direct talks leads to a more pragmatic approach, allowing New Delhi to address security concerns and support the Afghan people directly.

The evolving relationship between India and Afghanistan under the Taliban in 2025 is symbolic of a broader shift in South Asia’s geopolitical landscape. As traditional alliances falter and new equations emerge, India’s engagement with Kabul positions it as a key player in shaping the region’s future. The Dubai meeting, framed by the interplay of humanitarian needs, economic opportunities, and security imperatives, highlights the potential for a constructive partnership that transcends past animosities.

The India-Afghanistan relationship holds the promise of a more stable and prosperous future for both nations. India’s approach to Afghanistan, at a time of increasing global uncertainties, speaks volumes of the art of diplomacy, taking advantage of the opportunities, mitigating risks, and building bridges across divides that will further enhance India’s role as a global dependable player.