From Sanctions to Sales Pitches:

How Kabul Is Trying to Rewire Its Economy Through India

- BY RAJAT MISHRA

The chandeliers inside the PHD Chamber in New Delhi glowed warmly as journalists gathered around a long wooden table, waiting for a man whose words carried weight far beyond diplomatic courtesies. Moments later, Alhaj Nooruddin Azizi, Afghanistan's Minister of Commerce and Industry, stepped in—measured, composed, and determined. His six-day visit to India was drawing to a close, but the urgency in his voice suggested that for Afghanistan, the real work was just beginning.

Standing at the podium, Azizi wasted no time in making an audacious pitch. He spoke not of conflict or ideology, but of opportunity, tax exemptions, investment prospects, minerals, trade access, and a renewed future built with India at its centre.

“There is huge potential in Afghanistan. You will not find a lot of competitors. You will receive tariff support, land, and a five-year tax exemption for new sectors,” he announced, leaning forward slightly, as if to emphasize that this was not mere rhetoric, but commitment. For a country ravaged by decades of war and political flux, this was a bold opening message.

Currently, India- Afghanistan trade stands at $1 billion out of which 70 per cent is imported from Afghanistan to India.

The offer was striking: five-year tax breaks for Indian companies willing to invest across sectors like mining, energy, pharmaceuticals, agriculture, textiles and information technology; just 1% tariff on machinery imported for new projects; and the promise that Afghanistan would allot land to industrial investors. It was the Taliban government’s most ambitious attempt yet to reposition the nation as an investment destination instead of an aid-dependent economy.

At a time when much of the world still views engagement with the Taliban through the lens of sanctions, restrictions and recognition diplomacy, Azizi’s tone was pragmatic, repeatedly returning to a single theme: economic reconstruction cannot wait.