Daily News Analysis

Relationship between India and Taliban-ruled Afghanistan

stylish_lining

Relationship between India and Taliban-ruled Afghanistan

 

Why in the News?

Recently, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan announced the closure of the Embassy of Afghanistan in Delhi.

The Embassy of Afghanistan has cited some reasons for the move that includes:

  • Lack of cooperation from the Government of India 
  • Lack of resources to operate any further

Is this a turning point for Afghanistan-India relations?

  1. The embassy represented the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan in India.
  2. But with the takeover of Afghanistan through a military campaign by Taliban, who were not recognised by India as de facto rulers, the embassy stopped representing an active state (“stateless mission”) since August 2021.
  3. Instead, it worked as a coordinating agency since then, such as performing a ceremonial or a symbolic role and helping out Afghan citizens among others.
  4. The ambassador of the previous regime of President Ashraf Ghani, Farid Mamundzay, left India before 3 months itself.
  5. However, the two consulates of Afghanistan in Hyderabad and Mumbai have announced to continue functioning as part of a “solemn commitment” towards thousands of Afghan students, refugees and traders.

Other ways of engagement are on the move:

  1. India has a “technical team” in Kabul to provides visas to Afghan traders and travellers to India. 
  2. Two weekly flights that carry Afghan citizens and items to India, as well as humanitarian assistance to the Afghan people by India, are being operational.
  3. Indian trade goods with Afghanistan are happening through other countries like Iran and the UAE.

However, these are informal nature of interactions because formal diplomatic ties are unable to take off as India refuses to recognise Taliban citing human rights abuses inflicted by it.

Possibility of establishing formal ties:

  1. Indian diplomats have engaged with the Taliban immediately after the takeover of Kabul in 2021, though India has not recognised Taliban formally.
  2. Indian diplomats have met Taliban’s representatives under many multilateral initiatives such as
  • The recent Moscow format dialogue in which India sent a representative to Kazan, Russia to engage with the Taliban.
  1. Increasing pressure on India to reconsider its position on the Taliban:
    1. It has gained international recognition from rival powers like China.
    2. Countries such as Iran, Pakistan, the UAE, Russia and Qatar are warming ties with the Taliban.
    3. Taliban is urging India to support its economic revitalisation through projects like electricity generation and road building works. 

International Seabed Authority

The International Seabed Authority (ISA) is currently in the midst of negotiations regarding the extraction of metals from the high seas, particularly as U.S. efforts to fast-track this practice h
Share It

Election of Vice-President of India

Article 64 of the Constitution of India specifies that the Vice-President's post cannot remain vacant for any period of time, as it is essential for the functioning of the Rajya Sabha (Council
Share It

Maharashtra Scraps Hindi as Compulsory Third Language

The Maharashtra government recently scrapped its Government Resolutions (GRs) that mandated Hindi as a compulsory third language from Grades 1 to 5 in Marathi and English medium schools. While the
Share It

River Pollution in India

The Delhi government's focus on cleaning up the Yamuna River is part of a larger national effort to rejuvenate the Ganga River and its tributaries, in alignment with the Namami Gange Programme
Share It

Infrastructure Failures

The recent collapse of the Mahisagar River Bridge in Vadodara, which tragically claimed the lives of 20 people, underscores the growing concern over India's infrastructure quality. Similar
Share It

Special Intensive Revision (SIR)

The Supreme Court (SC) is currently reviewing the Election Commission of India’s (ECI) process for the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls in Bihar, suggesting that Aadhaar,
Share It

GM Crop

In ongoing trade talks, the United States is advocating for India to open its agriculture market to genetically modified (GM) crops. However, India has firmly rejected this proposal, citing concer
Share It

India-Brazil Relations

India and Brazil share a growing and dynamic bilateral relationship that has evolved across various sectors since the establishment of diplomatic ties in 1948. Their Strategic Partnership, formali
Share It

Legislative Productivity

The Lok Sabha Speaker’s remarks about the need to enhance legislative productivity reflect growing concerns about the diminishing effectiveness of India’s legislative bodies. The chall
Share It

Economic Growth

India's rapid urbanization is set to dramatically shape its future. The transformation of its cities holds immense potential for economic growth, but it also brings significant challenges. As
Share It

Newsletter Subscription


ACQ IAS
ACQ IAS