Bharat’s tightrope with the Taliban: Pragmatism or gamble?

“Diplomacy is about dealing with everyone, whether we endorse their policies or not. That’s how India’s foreign policy has always worked." — A serving Indian diplomat

A bitter past: From hostility to handshakes

Last week, reports of growing warmth between New Delhi and Kabul’s current rulers left many in the geopolitical community both surprised and curious. The very idea of Bharat and the Taliban, two entities long seen as ideological adversaries, finding common ground was unthinkable until recently. Yet, here we are, watching a deeper engagement unfold.

This development has sparked a wave of euphoria in regional geopolitics and an equal measure of shock in Rawalpindi. But beneath the surface celebrations lies a complex question: What does this new equation mean for Bharat’s diplomacy and long-term regional goals?

The distrust between Bharat and the Taliban runs deep. In December 1999, an Indian Airlines flight (IC-814) was hijacked en route from Kathmandu to Delhi and taken to Kandahar, then under Taliban control. The hijacking ended only after India released three top militants, one of whom later founded Jaish-e-Mohammed, responsible for multiple terror attacks against India. The incident deeply embarrassed New Delhi and scarred bilateral perceptions for decades.

The years that followed were no better. During the first Taliban regime (1996–2001), New Delhi refused to recognise their government and instead backed the anti-Taliban Northern Alliance, led by Afghan heroes such as Ahmad Shah Massoud. After the Taliban’s fall in 2001, Bharat emerged as a major development partner to the new Afghan Republic — building the Afghan Parliament, roads, hospitals, and power infrastructure worth over $3 billion in aid.

From 2001 to 2021, Bharat’s interests in Afghanistan faced repeated attacks, resulting in loss of lives and deepening distrust toward the Taliban. Notable incidents include the 2008 Indian Embassy bombing in Kabul, which killed 58, including a diplomat, and assaults on consulates in Jalalabad (2013) and Herat (2014), reinforcing perceptions of the Taliban as a Pakistan-backed threat.

History turned again in August 2021, when Taliban 2.0 seized power after the U.S. withdrawal. The Indian Embassy in Kabul was evacuated, Indian nationals were repatriated under Operation Devi Shakti, and the future of India’s investments seemed uncertain. Given this backdrop, today’s bonhomie between New Delhi and Kabul’s current dispensation looks almost surreal.

The diplomat’s view: “Dealing with everyone”

Last night, I spoke with a serving Indian diplomat, a friend who has worked in conflict zones, including Afghanistan. His view was disarmingly simple: “Diplomacy is about dealing with everyone, whether we endorse their policies or not. That’s how India’s foreign policy has always worked.”

He reminded me that Bharat has engaged with diverse regimes — from Iran to Myanmar — without endorsing their internal politics. It’s the art of dealing to delay. You don’t have to love your interlocutors; you just have to keep the conversation alive. That’s exactly what Bharat seems to be doing now, opening channels with the Taliban, not out of affection, but out of strategic necessity.

Why the Taliban may be reaching out

For the Taliban, this outreach makes sense. Pakistan, its long-time patron, has increasingly turned hostile — closing borders, cutting trade access, and even launching airstrikes on Afghan territory. In contrast, Bharat offers something the Taliban desperately need: legitimacy, trade, and a bridge to the global community.

Afghanistan’s economy is in freefall. Over 90% of Afghans live below the poverty line, and international aid has dried up. Bharat’s wheat, medicines, and humanitarian supplies have continued to flow, even when others pulled out. For the ordinary Afghan, India still means hospitals, scholarships, and food — not politics. This grassroots goodwill gives New Delhi a unique diplomatic lever, one that neither Russia nor the U.S. could effectively wield during their long engagements in Afghanistan.

The euphoria and the reality check

Yet, as the euphoria fades, realism must return. There are serious challenges ahead. One key question is how New Delhi will ensure that its growing proximity to the Taliban, predominantly Pashtun from southern Afghanistan, does not alienate other ethnic communities such as the Hazaras, Uzbeks, and Tajiks.

New Delhi has never conducted diplomacy driven by emotion. Like a seasoned chess grandmaster, it plans its moves and anticipates its adversaries’ counter-moves well in advance. It is therefore reasonable to assume that Bharat has already reached out to leaders from these communities and assured them that engagement with the Taliban will not come at their expense. That is not Bharat’s ethos, and certainly not how its diplomacy operates.

The next major challenge lies in addressing women’s rights within Afghanistan’s cultural and religious sensitivities. Can Bharat leverage its growing proximity with the Taliban to promote access to education, perhaps through digital learning and online courses, as the diplomat suggested. This could be a subtle yet significant way to advance women’s empowerment.

Bharat’s advantage: People-centric diplomacy

Despite these challenges, Bharat enters this engagement from a position of moral strength. Over two decades, it has built credibility as a partner focused on people, not regimes.

From the Salma Dam in Herat to the Parliament building in Kabul, from scholarships to medical aid, Bharat’s projects have directly touched millions of Afghan lives.

Even today, despite having no formal recognition of the Taliban regime, New Delhi continues to send humanitarian aid.

This people-first diplomacy could form the foundation of a new relationship with Kabul, engaging the government while staying connected with the governed.

If Bharat can navigate this delicate balance, engaging quietly with the Taliban while maintaining goodwill among ordinary Afghans, it could add a new chapter on how to do grounded, people-centric diplomacy, while dealing with internationally isolated regimes.

Practical diplomacy, not idealism

The question remains: is this pragmatism or a gamble?

In my view, it’s pure realpolitik. Bharat isn’t befriending the Taliban; it’s ensuring its voice isn’t absent from a region where every major power, from the U.S. to Russia, is already playing its hand. Sitting out would mean conceding influence to Pakistan once again, something New Delhi cannot afford. As my diplomat friend summed it up, quoting an old adage: “Keep your friends close, and your enemies closer. If we don’t meet them, how will we know what they’re up to?” That, perhaps, is the essence of Bharat’s Afghanistan play: talk to everyone, trust no one fully, and always think a few moves ahead.

Whether this cautious embrace of Kabul proves to be a masterstroke of diplomacy or a misstep of misplaced trust will be revealed in time. For now, Bharat is walking the tightrope — with one eye on history, and the other on the future.

(The author is Founder of My Startup TV)