**India Strengthens Ties with Taliban Amid Changing Regional Dynamics**

India’s recent outreach highlights its strategic interests amidst regional power shifts, even as concerns about the Taliban’s past linger.

India's foreign secretary Vikram Misri's meeting with Taliban acting foreign minister Amir Khan Muttaqi in Dubai marks a notable shift in the country's stance towards Afghanistan's Taliban regime. This meeting, the highest-level engagement since Kabul's fall in August 2021, signals India's recognition of changing geopolitical circumstances in the region.

India's strategic and diplomatic position in Afghanistan took a hit over three years ago when the Taliban regained power, resulting in the loss of over two decades of progress funded by Indian investment in Afghan democracy. Efforts to build a parliamentary infrastructure, provide military training, and offer scholarships were swiftly undermined. Moreover, India contended with growing influence from rivals such as Pakistan and China, which expanded their footholds within Afghanistan, raising new security concerns for New Delhi.

However, recent discussions have signaled a change; the Taliban expressed its desire to develop political and economic ties with India, highlighting its view of India as a "significant regional and economic power." This includes talks about enhancing trade and utilizing Iran's Chabahar port, a project India has championed to facilitate access to Afghanistan without routing through Pakistani ports.

Michael Kugelman from the Wilson Center remarked that this meeting grants the Taliban a level of legitimacy from India, a nation historically opposed to the group. Such diplomatic engagement is viewed as a significant diplomatic achievement for the Taliban, particularly as India has previously distanced itself from the group's hardline ideologies.

Different nations have adopted contrasting approaches towards the Taliban since it took control of Afghanistan. While Pakistan has escalated military actions against the Taliban flank, with airstrikes that reportedly killed dozens in eastern Afghanistan, China has engaged extensively, even appointing an ambassador.

Kenneth Prasad, a former Indian ambassador, points out that India has maintained informal contacts with the Taliban since 2020 to avoid a diplomatic hiatus similar to that of the 1990s, emphasizing India's longstanding ties to Afghanistan. The Indian government has invested over $3 billion in various developmental projects and seeks to preserve goodwill among the Afghan populace despite the Taliban's controversial stance on human rights, particularly women's rights.

As India re-engages, it also aims to counter the influence that Pakistan has exerted over Afghanistan. Enhanced ties with the Taliban are seen as a strategic move, not just to improve trade routes to Central Asia but also to establish a presence amid rising tensions between Afghanistan and Pakistan over terrorism accusations.

Despite potential gains, experts recognize risks in dealing with a regime linked to global terror groups and with a history of violence. Kugelman cautions India on placing trust in the Taliban, a group that remains hostile and entrenched in its ways since the 1990s. However, Prasad argues that engagement may press the Taliban to reform domestically while they seek international acknowledgment.

Calls for reform from within the Taliban highlight significant changes needed, particularly regarding women's rights and their participation in society. For India, the balance between fostering relations with the Taliban and addressing humanitarian issues remains delicate as it navigates the complexities of the Afghan landscape going forward.