Why India wants to repair ties with Kabul
From New Delhi’s point of view, the Taliban are here to stay, at least for the time being
The meeting between foreign secretary Vikram Misri and the Taliban’s acting foreign minister Amir Khan Muttaqi in Dubai was significant because it marked the highest level of engagement so far by the Indian side with the regime in Kabul since the group’s takeover of Afghanistan in 2021. The meeting was held against the backdrop of a sharp deterioration in relations between Afghanistan and Pakistan and built on earlier contacts between Indian diplomats and Taliban officials. The Indian side received an assurance from the Taliban about being sensitive to India’s security concerns — a tacit reference to the activities of several terror groups that continue to have a presence on Afghan soil. The Indian side also pledged support to Afghanistan’s health sector and for rehabilitating refugees at a time when Pakistan has pushed back hundreds of thousands of Afghan refugees.
From New Delhi’s point of view, the Taliban are here to stay, at least for the time being, and India, which has considerable interests in Afghanistan, is better off by engaging with the dispensation. Right from the time the Taliban displaced the US-backed regime in Kabul, they have been open to engaging India, though some quarters in New Delhi believe these overtures are aimed at achieving a balance with Islamabad. Realpolitik favours the rebuilding of ties, but the Indian side must be clear-eyed about this process. It is in the Taliban’s interest to have stronger ties with India, especially given the breakdown of their ties with Pakistan’s political and military power centres. Closer security and development cooperation with the Taliban will allow India to address its strategic concerns, and New Delhi’s engagements may create the leeway to push for reforms in Afghanistan.
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