India is set to engage more closely with the Taliban in Afghanistan with the arrival of a top representative of the militant group in New Delhi, a move experts see as a “strategic” counter to China’s growing influence in the region but one that risks inadvertently legitimising the Taliban’s rule.
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The Indian government is expected to host the Taliban official soon, according to local media reports, as part of Delhi’s ongoing efforts to rebuild ties with Kabul.
The Taliban-led government has identified two potential candidates to take charge of the Afghan embassy in Delhi, but according to reports citing officials familiar with the matter, the Taliban official will not be recognised as a diplomat by India, nor will the Taliban be able to fly its flag at the embassy, at events or on official vehicles.
Only a handful of countries, including China, Pakistan and Russia, have accepted diplomats from the Taliban, which seized power in Afghanistan in 2021 and has been criticised for restricting human rights, including women’s rights to work and have an education.
Like many countries, India at the time severed official diplomatic ties with Afghanistan and closed its embassy in Kabul.
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In January last year, China welcomed Asadullah Bilal Karimi, the Taliban-appointed Afghan ambassador, in a formal ceremony at the Great Hall of the People, along with envoys from other countries.