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EYE ON INDIA OCTOBER 10, 2025 | The Indian Eye 6
India Makes a Strategic Outreach to
Afghanistan amid Pakistan’s Dilemma
India’s careful engagement with the Taliban intersects with Pakistan’s hardened stance
on cross-border militancy, shaping a volatile regional balance.
OUR BUREAU The Taliban’s return initially
seemed like a win for Pakistan, given
Kabul / New Delhi
its long-standing ties with the group.
hen the United Nations Se- But recent events suggest otherwise.
curity Council (UNSC) ap- Kabul’s reluctance to act against mil-
Wproved a travel exemption itants targeting Pakistan, combined
for Taliban Foreign Minister Amir with growing domestic unrest, has
Khan Muttaqi to visit New Delhi from soured ties. This has created an open-
October 9 to 16, it underscored a new ing for India to re-enter the Afghan
phase in India’s cautious but delib- equation.
erate engagement with Afghanistan. Muttaqi’s visit to New Delhi un-
The decision comes at a time when der UN exemption may therefore be
the region is fraught with escalating symbolic, but it sends a clear message:
cross-border tensions, as Pakistan India is willing to engage directly, re-
grows increasingly frustrated with Ka- gardless of Pakistan’s objections.
bul’s inability—or unwillingness—to
rein in militants operating from Af- A FRAGILE BALANCING ACT
ghan soil.
The development has placed In- or India, the challenge lies in
dia in a delicate position: attempting engaging Afghanistan without
to balance its humanitarian commit- Fbeing seen as endorsing the Tal-
ments and strategic interests in Af- iban’s regressive policies. The interna-
ghanistan, while navigating a complex tional community remains critical of
regional dynamic in which Pakistan Indian Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri met Afghanistan Acting Foreign Minister Mawlawi Amir the regime’s curbs on women’s rights,
looms large. education, and freedoms. India’s dip-
Khan Muttaqi, in Dubai in January this year (ANI File Photo) lomatic moves must therefore tread
INDIA’S AFGHAN CALCULUS carefully, balancing humanitarian
tion and employment. India’s out- amplified these concerns at the Unit- outreach with principled stands on
or India, Afghanistan has al- reach, therefore, has a dual purpose: ed Nations General Assembly, blam- rights and governance.
ways been more than just a providing relief to Afghans while en- ing “externally sponsored terrorism” For Pakistan, the dilemma is even
Fneighbour—it is a test of re- suring its own security interests are for threatening Pakistan’s stability. sharper. Its security concerns are le-
gional influence, connectivity, and not compromised by terrorist groups Islamabad has tightened border con- gitimate—cross-border militancy has
security. Since the Taliban’s return to operating in the region. trols and stepped up deportations of taken a heavy toll. But its heavy-hand-
power in 2021, New Delhi’s approach PAKISTAN’S GROWING ANGER Afghan migrants, drawing criticism ed measures, including threats of
has evolved from initial reluctance to from humanitarian organisations and force and mass deportations, risk
limited engagement. The UNSC’s ap- hile India cautiously engag- complaints from deportees facing dire alienating Afghans further and wors-
proval of Muttaqi’s visit represents a es Kabul, Pakistan is hard- conditions back home. ening instability.
pragmatic recognition that ignoring Wening its stance. Islamabad This escalating confrontation India’s decision to host Amir
the regime is no longer viable. has accused Afghan nationals of car- complicates India’s own calculations. Khan Muttaqi underlines a shift from
India has long championed peo- rying out nearly 80 per cent of recent On the one hand, Pakistan’s pressure hesitation to cautious engagement.
ple-to-people ties with Afghanistan, terror attacks inside its borders, par- on the Taliban may open diplomat- Pakistan’s frustration highlights the
funding development projects, ed- ticularly in the restive Khyber Pakh- ic space for India. On the other, any limits of its leverage over Kabul. To-
ucation, and infrastructure. Even tunkhwa and tribal districts. The spike deterioration in Afghan-Pakistan re- gether, these moves underscore that
after the Taliban takeover, it quietly in violence has forced Pakistan’s lead- lations risks creating instability that Afghanistan remains the fulcrum of
resumed humanitarian aid, includ- ership into a defensive posture. could spill across borders. South Asian geopolitics.
ing food grains and medical supplies. State Minister for Interior Talal India’s outreach to Afghanistan The coming weeks will reveal
Hosting Muttaqi signals that New Chaudhry, in a blunt warning, de- is inevitably seen in Pakistan through whether New Delhi’s outreach can
Delhi is willing to explore diplomatic clared that if talks with the Taliban the prism of rivalry. Since the Cold create a new channel of dialogue with
channels, albeit without formally rec- fail to stop cross-border terrorism, War, Kabul has been a contested the Taliban, and whether Islamabad’s
ognising the Taliban government. Pakistan would respond with “the lan- space for influence between New warnings translate into further con-
The stakes are high. Afghani- guage of bullets.” His remarks reflect Delhi and Islamabad. Pakistan has frontation. In either case, the triangle
stan remains in humanitarian freefall, not just anger but desperation, as mil- historically sought strategic depth in of India, Afghanistan, and Pakistan
compounded recently by an unprece- itant attacks increasingly target Paki- Afghanistan, while India has invested will continue to define the region’s
dented nationwide internet blackout stani soldiers, policemen, and civilians. in development projects as a means of fragile security and its uncertain path
and restrictions on women’s educa- Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif gaining goodwill. toward stability.
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