Precious minerals, geo-political calculations are driving India’s engagement with Taliban
But New Delhi is unlikely break with international and domestic consensus on the Taliban’s exclusionary treatment of women and ethnic minorities.
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On January 8, Indian Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri met the Afghan Taliban’s acting Foreign Minister Amir Khan Muttaqi in Dubai. Although the two sides had been engaging for more than 14 months, the recent meeting is so far the highest-level encounter between the two countries.
In March 2024, the Indian joint secretary, ministry of external affairs, also met Afghan Taliban officials in Kabul.
Soon after the fall of Kabul in August 2021, New Delhi abandoned its diplomatic and development activities in Afghanistan due to security concerns. However, India continued to engage the Afghan interim government on two fronts.
First, India used humanitarian assistance as a tool to open communication channels with the Afghan regime. Second, it engaged with Afghan officials in the United Arab Emirates for diplomatic outreach.
New Delhi gradually but carefully started its engagement with the Afghan Taliban in November 2023. These meetings witnessed significant progress in terms of bilateral engagement, with Indian officials agreeing to increase humanitarian assistance.
According to the United Nations World Food Programme, India has sent more than 47,000MT wheat. Moreover, Delhi has supplied 200 tonnes of medical aid.
Similarly, backchannel diplomacy between India and the Afghan Taliban resulted in the permanent closure of the Ghani administration’s embassy in New Delhi. Subsequently, the Taliban’s charge d’affaires in Abu Dhabi...
