Key points
- Pakistan has long accused India of using Afghan soil for terrorist activities
- India considering “bold move” regarding Afghan Taliban
- New Delhi had good relations with Ashraf Ghani government
ISLAMABAD: In an effort to consolidate its footprint in Afghanistan, India is considering aiding Afghan refugees repatriated by Pakistan.
Following Indian External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar’s telephonic conversation with the acting Afghan Foreign Minister Mawlawi Amir Khan Muttaqi, officials in New Delhi hint at the possibility of establishing stronger ties with Afghanistan amid worsening relations with Pakistan.
India had friendly ties with the previous Afghan government, which was overthrown by the Taliban in a swift military advance in August 2021.
The two leaders, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Afghan President Ashraf Ghani enjoyed excellent relations with each other.
Sponsoring terrorists
Pakistan has repeatedly accused India of sponsoring terrorist groups based in Afghanistan and warned India against funding the Fitna-Al-Khawarij (Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan) and the Balochistan Liberation Army (BLA) among other terror outfits.
Upon the overthrow of the Ashraf Ghani government, India withdrew officials from its embassy in Kabul and evacuated its missions in Kandahar and Mazar-e-Sharif, according to The Hindu.
However, over the last two years, New Delhi has steadily increased exchanges with Taliban representatives.
“Bold moves”
Indian media also reported that India will undertake “bold moves” on Afghanistan and “do whatever is necessary” in the near future to establish stronger relations with the Taliban-ruled state.
As part of that process, South Block will consider the possibility of extending humanitarian assistance to Afghan refugees who have been repatriated by Pakistan.
On Thursday, Jaishankar, in his conversation with Muttaqi, had indicated that India will also deepen direct humanitarian support to Afghanistan.
The Hindu quoted sources as saying that some of the requirements of the Taliban administration had been under consideration in India and that Muttaqi had raised Afghanistan’s requirements with Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri when the two met in Dubai on January 8, 2025.
