Why India and Pakistan are courting Afghanistan’s Taliban rulers

The Taliban may be the unexpected beneficiaries of India and Pakistan’s recent conflict, as both countries court Afghanistan’s hardline government, which is yet to be formally recognised by any nation since seizing power four years ago.

Several days after launching air strikes against Pakistan for its alleged involvement in a militant attack which killed 26 civilians in Indian-administered Kashmir, India’s Foreign Minister Subrahmanyam Jaishankar spoke to his Taliban counterpart – Amir Khan Muttaqi – to thank him for condemning the attack.

In his first-ever discussion with Afghanistan’s Islamic government since their 2021 comeback, Jaishankar reiterated India’s continued support for Afghanistan’s development needs.

India has been cautiously re-engaging with Kabul over the past two years, sending food, medicines and vaccines – welcomed by the isolated Taliban, which has had few friends to call on since its stunning return to power after nearly two decades of war.

In January, Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri held talks with Muttaqi in Dubai over trade and regional security, a diplomatic outreach seen as recognition by New Delhi of the changing geopolitical realities of South Asia.