India deepens engagement with Taliban-led Afghanistan as Pakistan ties fray

Nearly five years after the Taliban took over Afghanistan, Kabul appointed its first envoy to India, marking a major turning point in diplomatic relations between the two countries.

Noor Ahmad Noor, a Taliban-appointed diplomat, took charge as Chargé d’Affaires at the Afghan Embassy in New Delhi; This is the first such mission to India since the Taliban came to power more than four years ago. This move is the latest step in building goodwill as India’s role in Afghanistan evolves.

The renewed political and economic relations with the Taliban come at a time when cross-border violence between Afghanistan and Pakistan has increased and relations between the two neighbors have reached a dangerously low point. Just this week, tensions flared again after a new series of deadly strikes and clashes. India, which has nuclear weapons, wasted no time in strongly condemning Islamabad for the attacks and supporting Kabul’s sovereignty.

In this environment of ongoing hostilities, India stands out as a country with much to gain. Experts say India’s zeroing in on the Taliban reflects a pragmatic policy aimed at protecting its long-term security interests in the region while countering Pakistani influence.

“This is a classic example of ‘the enemy of my enemy is my friend,'” Sid Dubey, an adjunct professor at Bennet University in India, told Fox News. “The only thing the two parties mutually agree on is Pakistan and their hostility to the Islamic Republic.”

Kabul’s rapidly deteriorating relationship with Islamabad greatly affects India’s calculations. For decades, Pakistan has sought what it calls “strategic depth” in Afghanistan by backing Taliban groups to install a friendly government in Kabul. But now, as frictions mount over border disputes, closer coordination between India and Afghanistan expands Pakistan’s capacity to manage tensions on multiple fronts.

Analysts say it also gives India the opportunity to expand its influence in the region at the expense of another rival, China. It also buffers Pakistan, India and Afghanistan, making the strategic alignment between New Delhi and Kabul particularly important.

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Eastern Afghanistan shares a border with India’s neighbor Pakistan. (AP Photo)

As regional fault lines continue to sharpen, “Afghanistan is cursed because of its geography and proximity to foreign powers that will always intervene,” Dubey explains. “And with virtually no American influence on the Taliban government anymore, Delhi feels safe to pursue its own Afghan policy centered on India.”

Like many other countries, India does not officially recognize the Taliban regime in Afghanistan. However, both countries are taking a number of quiet but significant steps to deepen relations. Last year, many high-level diplomatic interactions were described as groundbreaking. Cooperation has expanded in every field, from health and humanitarian aid to cultural exchanges and economic projects.

Dubey claims there is another big reason for Delhi’s move. “India supports all of this with the hope or understanding that one day India can use Afghanistan as a platform to strike Pakistan if necessary.”

Indian soldiers stand guard as a Kashmiri Muslim man passes by in Srinagar, Indian-controlled Kashmir, Friday, May 9, 2025. (AP Photo/Mukhtar Khan) (AP)

Kabul embraces this new era of cooperation and hails stronger ties with India, with Pakistan remaining deeply skeptical of these developments. Relations with India also provide the Taliban with a measure of legitimacy on the world stage.

As Dubey points out, Afghanistan remains one of the poorest and least developed countries in the world, heavily dependent on foreign aid, making India’s aid extremely beneficial.

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Anand Prakash, Joint Secretary, Pakistan, Afghanistan and Iran (PAI) Division of the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA), Afghanistan Taliban Foreign Minister Amir Khan Muttaqi and Rajya Sabha Member Vikramjit Singh Sahney and an Indian entrepreneur participated in a roundtable discussion at the Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FICCI) in New Delhi, India, on October 13, 2025. (Anushree Fadnavis/Reuters)

If it continues, India’s growing relationship with the Taliban could reshape changing regional dynamics. A weakened Pakistan-Taliban relationship undermines Islamabad’s long-standing influence in Kabul and alters the previously established balance of power. This also complicates China’s calculations as Beijing weighs its own security concerns.

Looking ahead, if Washington re-expands its involvement in Afghanistan, New Delhi could serve as an important intermediary, given that US and India relations are also on an upward trend.

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