Political reality of Taliban marks presence in Delhi

The recent flurry of reports on India coming close to allowing Taliban-appointed representatives to take up key diplomatic posts in Delhi and Mumbai highlights a major policy shift, pushed through by the prevailing political realities in Kabul.

- Kabir Taneja

Taliban officials were in New Delhi recently for a multilateral event hosted by India's telecom regulator.

The Taliban is here to stay for now, and for the neighbourhood, ignoring them long-term is unrealistic. They have made a relatively successful push to seek out political recognition across the board. F rom China to the United Arab Emirates (UAE), a number of States have accepted appointments by the Taliban's interim government in a more open form. Others have baulked and allowed some access to the regime accompanied by a slew of checks and balances. Reasons vary from distance and fatigue in the West to an unfolding big-power competition. Geopolitical crevasses have offered the Taliban ample opportunities to engage globally, and they have done reasonably well.