India's diplomatic outreach to Afghanistan
Pakistan and China are warming up to Afghanistan, after India’s External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar made a call to the officiating Afghan Foreign Minister recently, notwithstanding the fact that none of the countries (including India) have recognised the Taliban government yet. Afghanistan’s strategic location and the influence it can exercise when allied with either of these countries is amongst the primary reasons for the reaction.
Jaishankar called Afghanistan’s officiating Foreign Minister Mawlawi Amir Khan Muttaqi on 15 May, after Operation Sindoor had effectively targeted nine terror targets in Pakistan. “I had a good conversation with Minister Mawlawi Amir Khan Muttaqi this evening,” said Jaishankar after the call. “And, I deeply appreciate his condemnation of the Pahalgam terrorist attack.”
It may be recalled that a senior Indian diplomat Anand Prakash had visited Kabul on 27 April against the backdrop of growing India-Pakistan hostilities, following the attack in Pahalgam on 22 April, causing the killing of 26 tourists.
Jaishankar’s call was the first minister-level outreach to the Taliban administration in Afghanistan. The Indian embassy in Kabul has been functioning with a technical team and there have been official level meetings with the Taliban administration at repeated intervals. India’s ambassador to Israel, J.P. Singh, who was earlier heading Pakistan, Afghanistan & India (PAI) desk in the ministry of external affairs travelled to Kabul in March 2024, when he met with Muttaqi. In November 2024, Ambassador Singh had travelled to Afghanistan again to meet acting defence minister Mohammad Yaqub Mujahid in Kabul.
“India’s official policy being focussed on the well-being of the Afghan people, the government of India has allowed the Taliban to gradually take charge of the Afghan missions in Delhi, Mumbai and Hyderabad, to cater to the consular requirements of Afghan students, visitors and businesspersons,” informs a source. “We underlined our traditional friendship with the Afghan people and continuing support for their development needs. I discussed ways and means of taking the co-operation forward,” Jaishankar affirmed after his phone call with minister Muttaqi.
India has trashed reports that appeared in Pakistan media that attempted to link the Taliban with the developments in Kashmir. “We welcomed his firm rejection of recent attempts to create distrust between India and Afghanistan through false and baseless reports,” Jaishankar added.
Interaction continues
Hafiz Zia Ahmed, Afghanistan’s director, public communication, clarified that Muttaqi had asked Jaishankar to help in securing Indian visas for more Afghan patients and visitors. He also urged the government of India to help in freeing Afghan prisoners in Indian jails.
Against the backdrop of the attack in Pahalgam, India has stopped all trade and import of goods that have originated in Pakistan. And there were concerns that the move could also impact imports from Afghanistan. It is understood that the continued interaction between India and Taliban will lead to the smoothening of business and humanitarian efforts that have been taking place between India and Taliban-ruled Afghanistan.
Meanwhile, Wang Yi, Ishaq Dar and Amir Khan Muttaqi, the foreign ministers of China, Pakistan and Afghanistan, respectively, held a trilateral meeting on 21 May in Beijing. Pakistan, China and Afghanistan stand together for regional peace, stability and development, announced Dar. This marks Dar’s first foreign visit since India and Pakistan reached an agreement on 10 May to end the four-day conflict that followed Operation Sindoor, which included India targeting Pakistan’s air and military bases.
China welcomed the understanding between India and Pakistan, stating that it serves the fundamental and long-term interests of both countries and contributes to regional peace and stability. During this visit, Pakistan and China also agreed to expand the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) into Afghanistan, showing their continued focus on boosting regional connectivity and economic ties. India has always objected to CPEC running through Pakistan occupied Kashmir (PoK) but it is least concerned with its expanding to other countries like Afghanistan.