What’s India’s Policy Of ‘Cautious' Negotiation With Taliban, How Have Ties Changed Since 2021?
In one its highest level of engagement since the Kabul fall, Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri met Taliban’s Acting Foreign Minister Mawlawi Amir Khan Muttaqi in Dubai last week. The Taliban expressed interest in strengthening political and economic ties with India, calling it a “significant regional and economic power".
The two sides reportedly agreed to promote the use of the Iranian port of Chabahar for trade with the Indian delegation, saying India would provide “further material support" for Afghanistan in areas such as refugee rehabilitation and health.
This comes more than three years after Kabul fell to the Taliban and India suffered a major strategic and diplomatic blow.
The Ministry of External Affairs (MEA), after the meeting in Dubai, had said, “In response to the request from the Afghan side, India will provide further material support in the first instance to the health sector and for the rehabilitation of refugees. The two sides also discussed strengthening of sports (cricket) cooperation."
“It was also agreed to promote the use of the Chabahar port for supporting trade and commercial activities, including for the purpose of humanitarian assistance for Afghanistan," the MEA had said.
The meeting between Misri and Muttaqi comes days after India “unequivocally condemned" the bombing of Afghan territories by Pakistan on December 24-25.
The MEA said the two delegations “evaluated the ongoing Indian humanitarian assistance programme". “The Afghan Minister appreciated and thanked the Indian leadership for continuing to engage and support the people of Afghanistan. In view of the current need for development activities, it was decided that India would consider engaging in development projects in the near future, in addition to the ongoing humanitarian assistance programme," the MEA said in its press note.
How Relations Have Changed Since 2021
Since the Taliban’s return to power in Afghanistan, countries have adopted different approaches towards the regime, balancing diplomatic engagement with concerns over human rights and security.
China, for example, has actively engaged with the Taliban, focusing on security and economic interests, and even has an ambassador in the country.
No country has formally recognised the Taliban government, but up to 40 countries maintain some form of diplomatic or informal relations with it.
India has not officially recognised the Taliban administration in Kabul, but in recent months has allowed the dispensation in Kabul to appoint a new Consul General in the Consulate of Afghanistan in Mumbai.
India shut its embassy in Kabul in August 2021 and has claimed that relations with the Taliban had been maintained at the level of a ‘technical team’ based out of the Indian embassy in Kabul.
On August 31, 2021, after the US military left Afghanistan, India made its first official contact with the Taliban. At the request of the new rulers in Kabul, Ambassador to Qatar Deepak Mittal met Sher Mohammad Abbas Stanekzai, head of the Taliban political office in Doha, at the Indian embassy. A few days before the meeting, Stanekzai, an alumnus of the Indian Military Academy (IMA) Dehradun who would become Deputy Foreign Minister in the Taliban government, had said India was “very important for this subcontinent", and the Taliban wanted to continue “cultural", “economic", “political", and “trade ties" with India “like in the past", as per a report by The Indian Express.
After the Doha meeting, then foreign secretary Harsh Vardhan Shringla said the engagement had been “limited". When the Afghan Cabinet was announced with little representation for minorities and no women, India called for an “include dispensation". In fact, former Pakistan’s ISI chief Faiz Hameed had travelled to Kabul to guide the Taliban on new appointments.
In December 2021, India sent 1.6 tonnes of essential medicines to Afghanistan, signalling a political call taken in New Delhi to see the ruling regime separate from the people of Afghanistan, while also opening a window to engage with the Taliban.
In early June 2022, an official Indian delegation visited Kabul for the first time after the Taliban takeover to oversee the “delivery operations of our humanitarian assistance" to Afghanistan, according to the Indian government. The team led by JP Singh, Joint Secretary in the Ministry of External Affairs, met foreign minister Muttaqi.
That same month, New Delhi sent an aid for the Afghan people affected by a deadly earthquake in the Khost and Paktika provinces in the eastern side.
In December 2022, India raised its concern over the banning of women from universities, and renewed its call for an inclusive government that ensures equal rights for women and girls. The MEA spokesperson referred to UN Security Council Resolution 2593, adopted on August 30, 2021 under India’s presidency, which stressed the need to uphold human rights and women’s rights, and sought a negotiated political settlement in Afghanistan.
In October 2023, the Afghan embassy in New Delhi paused all its operations citing lack of resources and personnel, and the failure to “meet expectations…to serve the best interests of Afghanistan". After the Ambassador appointed by the Ashraf Ghani government relinquished control, two Afghan diplomats in Mumbai and Hyderabad volunteered to run the mission.
In January 2024, Indian diplomats based in Kabul had their first publicised meeting with Muttaqi.
What’s India’s Strategy In Afghanistan?
The latest meeting between the Indian and Afghan officials in Dubai can be concluded as the incremental progress of India’s “cautious engagement" with the Taliban after the collapse of the Ashraf Ghani government three and a half years ago.
Raghav Sharma, associate professor at the Jindal School of International Affairs in New Delhi, told
Al Jazeera, “India believes that by keeping the channel open to the Taliban, they’ll be able to engage them at least on some issues that matter to India." The meeting was needed by the Taliban more than by India.
Foreign Minister S Jaishankar told Parliament in 2023 that India has “historical and civilisational ties" with Afghanistan. India has invested more than $3 billion in over 500 projects across Afghanistan, including roads, power lines, dams, hospitals and clinics. It has trained Afghan officers, awarded thousands of scholarships to students and built a new parliament building.
Michael Kugelman of the Wilson Center, an American think-tank, told BBC, “India has an important legacy as a development and humanitarian aid donor in Afghanistan, which has translated into public goodwill from the Afghan public that Delhi is keen not to lose."
India also aims to strengthen connectivity and access Central Asia, which it cannot be reached directly by land due to Pakistan’s refusal of transit rights. Experts believe Afghanistan is key to this goal. One strategy would be collaborating with Iran on the Chabahar port development to improve access to Central Asia via Afghanistan, according to a report by
BBC.
But can Taliban be trusted? According to Jayant Prasad, a former Indian ambassador to Afghanistan, the Taliban want recognition. They are “fully in control. Letting the Taliban stew in its own juice won’t help Afghan people. Some engagement with the international community might pressurise the government to improve its behaviour", he told the
BBC.
India has not officially recognised the Taliban administration in Kabul, but in recent months has allowed the dispensation in Kabul to appoint a new Consul General in the Consulate of Afghanistan in Mumbai. India believes that by keeping the channel open to the Taliban, it can engage them on...
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