INDIA AND TALIBAN: A PRACTICAL SHIFT AS POWER TURNS

INDIA'S decision to upgrade its Technical Mission in Kabul to a full-fledged embassy marks a significant recalibration of its Afghanistan policy.

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This shift is driven less by ideological alignment and more by strategic necessity. Without formally recognising the Taliban regime, New Delhi signals a willingness to engage, reshape regional influence, and protect core interests in a volatile neighbourhood. That's the need of the geopolitical hour.

External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar's meeting with Acting Foreign Minister Amir Khan Muttaqi in New Delhi wasn't just for optics. It was a clear articulation of India's intent to re-anchor its presence in Afghanistan, where its development footprint-roads, dams, schools, hospitals-has long stood in contrast to Pakistan's coercive involvement.