Ayni exit may limit regional outreach

As geopolitical competition intensifies in Central Asia, India will have to prioritise transparent and reliable connectivity strategies

- HARSH V PANT AYJAZ WANI

INDIA QUIETLY ENDED its only overseas military presence by relinquishing the strategic Ayni airbase in Tajikistan upon the expiry of the bilateral agreement.Ayni airbase, also known as Gissar Military Aerodrome, was a former Soviet military facility that fell into disrepair after the Soviet Union's dissolution.

After 1991, Russia faced economic difficulties and struggled to pay soldiers' salaries. Meanwhile, New Delhi, considered a trusted friend of Moscow, was permitted to develop the Ayni airbase. Moscow supports India's role in the security framework of Central Asia, particularly in Tajikistan, due to its vulnerable borders with Afghanistan and China as well as the influx of drugs and extremists into the region.Additionally, the 1999 Kargil War heightened New Delhi's strategic and security interests, making Ayni airbase critical for boosting India's deterrence and strategic depth against Pakistan.

India began developing the airbase, located 20 km from the Wakhan Corridor and bordering Pakistan-occupied Kashmir and China's Xinjiang province, in the late 1990s. With an investment of $70 million, the Indian Air Force and Border Roads Organisation upgraded its 3,200-metre runway, air traffic control systems, and fuel depots. At one point, India also deployed Su-30MKI fighter jets and helicopters for strategic deterrence. India also established a military hospital in Farkhor, Tajikistan, not only to treat members of the Northern Alliance, a coalition of groups that fought against the Taliban, but also to project its soft power in Central Asia's poorest region. India also used the airbase in 2021 to evacuate Indian citizens and officials from Afghanistan after the Taliban regained control of Kabul.