India Insights: India's Quiet Embrace of the Taliban - Strategic Shift or Short-Term Gamble?
India’s recent conflict with Pakistan is not a new occurrence in the sub-continent. Over the years, worsening relations between India and Pakistan have resulted in a rather unlikely friendship between the Taliban and India.
India’s silent yet deliberate engagement with the Taliban regime in Afghanistan marks one of the most striking shifts in its foreign policy in recent years. Once firmly opposed to recognizing the Taliban, especially during its first rule from 1996 to 2001, New Delhi had long positioned itself as a strong supporter of democratic governance in Kabul. Even after the Taliban's return to power in 2021, India remained hesitant, limiting its response to humanitarian aid while avoiding formal diplomatic recognition.
However, India’s stance is now evolving. In the past year, India has held discreet meetings with Taliban officials, resumed humanitarian aid shipments, and even hinted at re-establishing a consular presence in Kabul.
This new stance points to something more strategic: India aims to counter
Pakistan’s entrenched influence in Afghanistan, safeguard its infrastructure investments, and prevent terror spillovers into Kashmir.
But the question is: Is this a sign of mature pragmatism in India’s foreign
policy, or a compromise too far?
Historical Context
Between 1996 and 2001, New Delhi viewed the Taliban not only as a threat to Afghan pluralism but also as a proxy of Pakistan’s Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI), which deepened India’s strategic unease.
Post the U.S.-led invasion in 2001 and the installation of a democratic government in Kabul, India became one of Afghanistan’s largest regional partners. Over the next two decades, India invested heavily in development aid, funding high-visibility projects such as the Afghan Parliament building, the Zaranj-Delaram highway, schools, hospitals, and the Salma Dam. These efforts were not only humanitarian but also a calculated move to build goodwill and strategic depth in a volatile neighborhood.
The return of the Taliban in 2021 after the U.S. withdrawal saw a renewed partnership between the new Afghan leadership and India. India’s Afghanistan policy has never been just about Kabul, but it has always been about Islamabad as well. Engaging with the Taliban today is not just a
break from past policy, but a clear indication that India may be
recalibrating its regional strategy in response to mounting geopolitical
pressures.
What’s Changing Now?
Now, India’s stance is softening into a more pragmatic form of engagement, quiet but unmistakable. In June 2022, India sent a “technical team” to reopen its embassy in Kabul, citing the need to oversee humanitarian aid operations. Though this was framed as a logistical move, it marked the first time Indian officials were stationed in Taliban-controlled Afghanistan since the regime’s return.
During the COVID-19 pandemic, India sent aid to Afghanistan, further strengthening ties between the two countries. Notably, India has refrained from calling the Taliban the “government” of Afghanistan but has also stopped short of outright condemnation, indicating a deliberate policy of strategic ambiguity.
The Taliban, for its part, has responded with cautious optimism. Its leaders have welcomed Indian aid and repeatedly called for stronger economic and diplomatic ties. They see India as a potential counterbalance to Pakistan’s overreach and as a source of legitimacy on the international stage.
Several key developments have prompted this shift. The resurgence of Pakistan-backed terror groups in Afghanistan has reignited Indian security concerns. Meanwhile, regional powers like Russia and Iran have normalized dealings with the Taliban, placing pressure on India not to be left behind in shaping post-American Afghanistan.
Taliban’s Perspective
For the Taliban, India’s cautious engagement represents more than just aid - it signals a step toward international legitimacy. Since retaking Kabul in 2021, the regime has struggled to gain recognition from any major global power. Most countries, including India, have withheld formal acknowledgment, citing human rights violations, especially against women and minorities. In this context, even limited diplomatic contact with New Delhi serves as a symbolic win.
Economically, Afghanistan is struggling. International sanctions, frozen assets, and a collapsed financial system have left the Taliban desperate for new economic partners. India, with its historical development footprint in Afghanistan and experience in capacity-building, is seen as a valuable counterweight to Pakistan and China.
Within the Taliban, attitudes toward India vary. Hardline elements remain suspicious, viewing India as aligned with the West and an enemy of Islam due to its ties with the former Afghan republic and its rivalry with Pakistan. However, more pragmatic factions recognize the economic and strategic value of engaging India.
Risks And Criticism
India, in seeking to improve its relations with the Taliban, has raised
questions in two areas: geopolitical and moral. Domestically, the move has sparked concerns about a potential compromise of core democratic values. Critics argue that engaging with a regime known for its brutal suppression of women’s rights, public executions, and systemic targeting of minorities undermines India’s long-standing image as a champion of democratic governance and human rights.
Internationally, India risks sending mixed signals to its Western partners, particularly the U.S. and the EU, which have maintained a cautious distance from the Taliban. Any perception of New Delhi legitimizing or empowering the group could alienate these allies, especially as debates around Afghanistan’s future remain highly charged in global forums.
There is also the concern that India’s engagement may unintentionally embolden the Taliban. With even limited diplomatic recognition from a regional heavyweight like India, the Taliban may feel less pressure to reform or meet international demands on human rights. This could particularly endanger already vulnerable Afghan communities, especially women, Hazaras, and other ethnic minorities, who continue to face systemic oppression and violence.
From a security perspective, the stakes are high. India’s overtures could offer some leverage over Taliban behavior, but they also risk creating a false sense of legitimacy for a regime whose long-term intentions remain unclear.
This shift raises a broader question about the future of Indian diplomacy: Is this a sign of a new, interest-driven foreign policy doctrine that prioritizes realpolitik over principle? Or is it merely a necessary detour—an uncomfortable but temporary engagement dictated by a uniquely turbulent regional landscape?
In navigating this delicate balance, India must weigh whether short-term engagement can genuinely shape long-term outcomes or whether, in seeking influence, it inadvertently normalizes a regime that stands in stark contrast to its democratic ideals.
