TEHRAN -- India’s renewed engagement with the Taliban administration in Afghanistan reflects a pragmatic shift by prioritizing interests over earlier ideological reservations.
India’s reset with the Taliban comes at a time when Afghanistan and Pakistan have ongoing conflict amid deadly border skirmishes following explosions in Kabul on October 9, which Afghan foreign ministry blamed on Pakistan. Islamabad accuses the Taliban in Kabul of harboring the Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) group, often referred to as the Pakistani Taliban. TTP has emerged as one of the biggest national security threats in Pakistan.
India has restored full diplomatic relations with Afghanistan and upgraded its Technical Mission in Kabul to an embassy, India’s External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar announced in October. The announcement followed Afghan Foreign Minister Mowlavi Amir Khan Muttaqi’s six-day visit to India.
Muttaqi’s visit followed restoration of flights between the two sides and Jaishankar welcomed Muttaqi’s invitation to Indian companies to explore mineral deposits in Afghanistan and boost trade.
The Indian embassy in Kabul was downgraded four years ago amid fighting between the Taliban and the government headed by
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