The old saying goes that an enemy of an enemy is a friend. This proverb seems to match the growing closeness between Taliban-ruled Afghanistan and India, which, for strategic reasons, remained anti-Taliban during the group’s rule in Afghanistan between 1996 and 2001 and supported the Afghan Republic governments between 2001 and 2021.
Meanwhile, Pakistan was considered the biggest ally and supporter of the Taliban from 1996 until the group’s takeover of Kabul in August 2021. But thereafter, the former allies have been unable to see eye to eye. The core issue is the Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP), which, according to Pakistan, is using Afghan soil as a safe haven from which it engages in terror activities against Pakistan. The Taliban deny this allegation and say that the TTP is an internal matter for Pakistan.
While Pakistan and Afghanistan have been striking each other, particularly since October 2025, India – Pakistan’s arch-rival – is deepening its relations with Taliban-run Afghanistan. Since early 2025, New Delhi’s policy vis-a-vis the Taliban has undergone an arguable strategic realignment.
India’s diplomatic outreach to the Taliban has increased tremendously over the last year, following the United Arab Emirates’ facilitation of a meeting in Dubai between Indian External Affairs Secretary Vikram Misri and Taliban Foreign Ministry Amir Khan Muttaqi on January 8, 2025. That meeting marked a major diplomatic milestone, as the relationship between New Delhi and Taliban-controlled Kabul began to take a positive turn.
