India’s Policy Shift towards Afghanistan under De Facto Taliban Government

T he Taliban takeover of Afghanistan is no longer at the forefront of the global agenda, though after four years of its rule, the Islamic Emirate strives for global legitimacy. India, one of the major partners in the reconstruction of Afghanistan since 2001, has drastically minimized its role, and no major attempt was made to deal with the Taliban until the withdrawal of US/NATO forces in 2021. Similarly, the Taliban regime in turn has not made any breakthrough with India in its diplomatic pursuits. However, sporadic meetings between the Indian and Taliban government officials have taken place, leading to speculation on the trajectory of India and Afghanistan relations under the Taliban regime 2.0. This article examines India’s policy shift towards Afghanistan. Its scope is confined to India-Afghan relations in the post-2020 period. While examining the India-Afghanistan discourse and its future contours, the frame of reference and mode of analysis applied is ‘proximity’ (closeness) as both countries lived alongside each other for centuries, at times amicably, and uninvolved at other times.