Looking back: India’s enduring ties with Afghanistan through turmoil

New Delhi, Aug 15 (IANS) Afghanistan, the Ministry of External Affairs on Friday, has seen an apparent “increase” in India’s pragmatic engagement with the Taliban authorities in recent months as the regime marks five years of rule in Kabul this month.

The Indian embassy in Kabul kept the Tricolour flying even during the tumultuous period that followed the withdrawal of Soviet troops from Afghanistan. The Soviet withdrawal, beginning mid‑1988 and lasting over a year, ended a decade‑long conflict that had profound regional and global consequences. The then Soviet Union had intervened to support a Communist‑led government in Kabul but faced strong resistance from insurgent mujahideen, a coalition of guerrilla groups trained and armed by Pakistan with assistance from the US and other countries.

Details of this covert operation involving America’s Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) and Pakistan Army’s Inter‑Service Intelligence (ISI) were chronicled by Brigadier Mohammad Yousaf, then heading the ISI’s Afghan Bureau, in the book Afghanistan: The Bear Trap: The Defeat of a Superpower, co‑written with British soldier‑author Mark Adkin. The long war strained the Soviet economy and contributed to Cold War tensions, earning the conflict the nickname “Soviet Union’s Vietnam”.

Deposed President Mohammad Najibullah took refuge in a United Nations compound housing the Office of the Secretary‑General in Afghanistan and Pakistan (OSGAP). He stayed there for four years after a failed attempt at fleeing, until the Taliban took over Kabul for the first time in 1996 and executed him. Just ahead of that episode, India closed its embassy in September 1996 on the advice of Afghan ministers and officials, many of whom were withdrawing to the comparative safety of the northern mountains.

After the end of the regime, India re‑established diplomatic relations with the new government, provided aid and participated in Afghanistan’s reconstruction efforts. On July 7, 2008, a suicide bomber detonated an IED‑laden car at the embassy entrance, killing 59 persons, including four Indian officials and a local driver. More than 150 persons, including five ITBP personnel, were seriously injured. Despite security measures, the mission continued its work.

It was forced to close again in 2021, with Taliban 2.0 reaching Kabul even as US‑led forces withdrew after two decades of peacekeeping. The embassy reopened in 2025, marking the first high‑level engagement between India and Afghanistan since the Taliban’s return to power. The reopening was a significant step in restoring diplomatic ties and strengthening India’s involvement in Afghanistan’s future.

Pakistan‑backed Afghan fighters have historically been hostile towards India. During the mujahideen era, Pashtun leaders like Gulbuddin Hekmatyar and Abdul Rasul Sayyaf expressed hostility, and many of their fighters spoke of the “Kashmir war”. Some Afghan fighters were among terrorists apprehended or killed in Jammu and Kashmir. On the other hand, Tajik and Uzbek commanders like Ahmad Shah Masood and Abdul Rashid Dostum welcomed humanitarian assistance from New Delhi.

Even with the Taliban, its leadership turned away from Pakistan before India’s outreach. This largely stems from the long‑standing Pashtun grievance over the Durand Line, drawn by British diplomat Sir Henry Mortimer Durand in 1893. Pashtuns contend that many of their majority areas were divided unfairly. Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, formerly the North‑West Frontier Province, is currently undergoing turmoil. For Taliban 2.0, Pakistan’s “big brother” treatment has added to the contention, with Islamabad proving an impediment to governance rather than being supportive.

–IANS

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