Taliban outreach

THE Taliban regime, which continues to await international recognition more than three years after it wrested control of Afghanistan, has appointed an acting consul at the Afghan mission in Mumbai. The appointment makes it obvious that the Taliban are keen to bolster diplomatic ties with India. New Delhi has not officially recognised the regime, which is notorious for human rights violations, but it has been building bridges with the rulers of a country with which it has had longstanding ties. It was only last week that a delegation of India’s Ministry of External Affairs met the Taliban’s acting Defence Minister Mullah Mohammad Yaqoob in Kabul and discussed ways to expand bilateral relations. Humanitarian assistance and the potential use of the Chabahar port in Iran by the Afghan business community also figured in the talks.

A key reason for the growing closeness between India and the Taliban is the deterioration in relations between Afghanistan and Pakistan. Border tensions soared in March this year when Pakistani fighters carried out airstrikes inside two Afghan provinces. Both Islamic nations have been accusing each other of aiding and abetting terrorism. The Taliban see India — which has itself been a victim of cross-border terrorism for decades — as an ally they can bank upon to counter Pakistan. After all, the enemy’s enemy is a natural friend.

Another important factor is the Chinese outreach to the Taliban. True to form, the Chinese have been proactively exploring diplomatic and economic opportunities in Afghanistan in recent years. In September 2023, Beijing had taken the lead in wooing the regime by appointing its ambassador to Afghanistan. India does not want to be left behind in making its presence felt in the neighbourhood. It has realised that the Taliban are here to stay; a pragmatic approach, prioritising one’s strategic interests, is the way forward.