‘National Interest’, or Strategic Move Against a Common Neighbour, or Something Completely Different? - Why is the Taliban Government in India?

Sri City: The Taliban took over the Afghan government after the US left in haste. What followed in their country is one thing, another is India’s active diplomatic ties despite not recognising them as a legitimised government. Why is India indulging in such close, high-level ties? Is this also a part of India’s claim of ‘national interest’? And why this may not be the best idea while India executes Operation Sindoor. 

After the attack on the Twin Towers/World Trade Centre in the United States of America, on 11th September 2001, George W Bush declared a ‘war on terror’ and "turned a formerly nationalistic problem of terrorism into a global phenomenon", and the United States went about the world addressing this issue in their ways and means (with their military might). One of these cases was the case of Afghanistan. After the events of 9/11, Afghanistan was not in the eyes of Bill Clinton, nor in the eyes of George Bush in his first eight months in office, as an enemy state. The U.S intelligence provided subsequent intel that the Taliban in Afghanistan - seizing power after the Soviets exited - have close ties with al-Qaeda (the most likely culprit of the 9/11 attacks). The U.S and an international coalition took military action and entered Afghanistan on the basis of a war against terrorism in 2001. 

20 years later, the U.S and all N.A.T.O. countries fully withdrew from Afghanistan in a rather hasty. In 2021, the Taliban, a predominantly Pashtun Islamic fundamentalist group, took over Afghanistan.

Since then, the Taliban government in Afghanistan have imposed Sharia Law, redressing various Human Rights issues deemed essential by the United Nations. "It reinforces and expands existing discriminatory policies, such as mandatory dress code, the requirement for women to have a male guardian (mahram), and the segregation of men and women in public spaces." The erosion of women’s rights is one of the most notable aspects of this change in law. The restrictions on freedom of expression, stifling independent journalism and limiting the flow of information both inside and outside Afghan borders, are another example of such a law. 

A very similar story unfolded in India with regard to the ‘war against terrorism’. While the U.S advocated and actively engaged in the ‘war on terror’, it failed to recognise the same issues that India has dealt with since independence - cross-border terrorism. Even though the United States invaded Afghanistan in the aftermath of 9/11, Osama Bin Laden (the founder of al Qaeda) was found and terminated by U.S Navy Seals in Pakistan. India has been the victim of countless cross-border terrorist attacks from Pakistan, one of them being the 26/11 Mumbai attack. 

Throughout this article, I would like to pose a few questions, asking what India may be doing with respect to shaking hands with the Taliban while conducting operations against Pakistan-based terrorist organisations. Is this a hypocritical stance? Or another ‘national interest’ agenda?

George Bush had once claimed that “We (USA) will make no distinction between the terrorists who committed these acts and those who harbour them.” Yet, after eliminating Osama, residing in Pakistan, the United States have taken little to no steps against Pakistan, if not gotten close with them. India furthermore took matters into its own hands to protect itself from such terrorist organisations; one of those incidents was the most recent Operation Sindoor, after terrorists shot down multiple peaceful tourists in Pahalgam, Kashmir. India had taken military action against UN-designated terrorist sites in Pakistan. 

Here’s the hypocrisy. After the takeover of the government by the Taliban in Afghanistan, India did not wait too long to strive for diplomatic ties with them. On 15th May 2025, Mawalawi Amir Khan Muttaqi, the acting foreign minister of Afghanistan, had a conversation with Dr Jaishankar and condemned the Pahalgam terrorist attack.  

While not recognising the Taliban Afghanistan as a legitimised government, India is still striving to have deep, high-level diplomatic ties. In November 2024, a senior Indian diplomat, J.P. Singh, travelled to Kabul, Afghanistan, to meet Mr Muttaqi (Taliban acting Foreign Minister), and more recently, on 9th October 2025, Mr Muttaqi arrived in New Delhi to have a week-long visit to India. This marked the first high-level delegation from Kabul to New Delhi since the Taliban took control over Afghanistan in August 2021. 

This has gone to a point where ‘for the interest and well-being of the Afghan people residing in India, "the Government of India has allowed the Taliban to gradually take charge of the Afghan mission in Delhi, Mumbai, and Hyderabad, to cater to the consular requirements of Afghan students, visitors and businesspersons”. A government that has imposed Sharia law on its people, a government that has taken steps against the international humanitarian laws, violated several human rights laws, and banned women from secondary education, has been invited to major cities in India to focus on the “well-being” of its people. Why are they meeting? 

"Expanding relations between Kabul and New Delhi" is one overarching answer provided by the MEA. But why is India expanding, or even having ties with a state that they don’t recognise, a state that has been known to spread terror? Why is India expanding relations with a nation that is not compliant with international human rights obligations and is an active participant in gender discrimination, gender persecution, and crimes against humanity? 

And so these are the questions I ask, these are the questions I want to leave you with. Is India ignoring all the dark aspects of the Taliban government, and shaking hands with them for ‘national benefit’? Is this another move towards dealing with Pakistan?