INDIA'S QUIET COMEBACK IN KABUL CHANGES REGIONAL DYNAMICS

Indian officials say the Taliban leadership has shown a steady inclination to assert independence from Pakistan's orbit. Kabul has moved to restrict the influence of Pakistan-backed and Pakistan-based terror groups.

- ABHINANDAN MISHRA

A day after India announced the upgrade of its technical mission in Kabul to a full-fledged embassy, signalling its first formal diplomatic re-engagement with Afghanistan's Taliban administration since 2021, officials and regional observers said the move marked the beginning of a carefully calibrated new phase in India's Afghanistan policy—one that blended pragmatism with strategic intent.

The decision, conveyed following External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar's meeting with Acting Afghan Foreign Minister Amir Khan Muttaqi in New Delhi last week, effectively reopens the Indian embassy that had remained shut since the chaotic withdrawal of US-led forces three years ago. India had maintained only a small but resourceful and well adapted “technical team” in Kabul since July 2022 to oversee humanitarian and trade assistance.

The embassy upgrade restores India's full diplomatic footprint in Afghanistan and underscores its readiness to pursue a pragmatic, long-term engagement anchored in stability, development, and calibrated security cooperation.

Officials confirmed that the Taliban government has provided categorical assurances of “complete security” for Indian personnel and assets, and conveyed that it welcomes India's developmental and political presence.

A full-fledged working embassy in Kabul will add to India's ability to take measured decisions with regard to its western neighbours and Central Asia.

According to Indian officials, the Taliban leadership, over the past three years, has shown a steady inclination to assert independence from Pakistan's orbit both through words and actions.