India Afghanistan Relations

India–Afghanistan Relations

• India and Afghanistan share deep historical and civilisational ties extending from the ancient Gandhara period to contemporary political, economic and cultural engagement.
• Afghanistan historically functioned as India’s north-western gateway to Central Asia, Iran and beyond.
• Modern diplomatic relations were formally established through the Treaty of Friendship signed in January 1950.
• India-Afghanistan relations have traditionally rested on:
  • Historical and cultural links
  • Strong people-to-people goodwill
  • Development cooperation
  • Trade and connectivity
  • Education and capacity building
  • Regional security.
• Since the Taliban’s return to power in August 2021, India’s policy has shifted from engagement with an elected Afghan government to cautious, pragmatic and increasingly structured engagement with the Taliban authorities.
• India continues to engage Afghanistan without making the relationship dependent solely on formal political recognition.

Historical Background of India–Afghanistan Relations

Ancient Phase

• Present-day Afghanistan historically included regions such as:
  • Gandhara
  • Bactria
  • Arachosia.
• These regions acted as a civilisational bridge between the Indian subcontinent, Central Asia and Persia.
• Ancient Indian texts such as the Rig Veda and Mahabharata contain references to Gandhara and adjoining regions.
• Under Chandragupta Maurya, parts of present-day Afghanistan came under Mauryan influence after his settlement with Seleucus I Nicator.
• Emperor Ashoka’s Kandahar inscriptions, written in Greek and Aramaic, demonstrate the multicultural character of the region.
• Buddhism subsequently flourished across Afghanistan.

Gandhara School of Art

• The Gandhara School of Art represented a synthesis of:
  • Indian Buddhist traditions
  • Greek-Hellenistic artistic influences
  • Central Asian cultural elements.
• Anthropomorphic representations of the Buddha became an important feature of Gandhara art.
• Under the Kushanas, especially Kanishka:
  • Mahayana Buddhism flourished.
  • Trade expanded.
  • India-Afghanistan-Central Asia cultural contacts intensified.

Afghanistan as a Trade Corridor

• Afghanistan’s position on branches of the Silk Routes made it an important commercial transit region.
• Trade involved:
  • Horses
  • Textiles
  • Spices
  • Precious stones
  • Agricultural products.
• Merchants, monks, scholars and travellers facilitated sustained cultural diffusion between South and Central Asia.

Colonial Phase

• During British rule in India, Afghanistan became central to the “Great Game” between the British and Russian empires.
• British strategy sought to maintain Afghanistan as a buffer between British India and Russian expansion in Central Asia.
• Britain fought three Anglo-Afghan Wars:
  • First Anglo-Afghan War — 1839–42
  • Second Anglo-Afghan War — 1878–80
  • Third Anglo-Afghan War — 1919.

Durand Line

• The Durand Line Agreement of 1893 demarcated the frontier between Afghanistan and British India.
• It divided several Pashtun tribal areas.
• After 1947, the Durand Line became the Afghanistan-Pakistan boundary.
• Afghanistan’s objections to the boundary subsequently became an important factor in Afghanistan-Pakistan tensions.

Afghanistan’s Independence

• Following the Third Anglo-Afghan War of 1919, Afghanistan regained control over its foreign affairs.
• Amanullah Khan emerged as an important symbol of Afghan independence.

Post-Independence Relations

Treaty of Friendship, 1950

• India and Afghanistan signed a Treaty of Friendship in January 1950.
• During much of the Cold War:
  • India followed Non-Alignment.
  • Afghanistan maintained substantial strategic autonomy while developing close ties with the Soviet Union.
• India and Afghanistan generally maintained friendly bilateral relations.

Soviet Intervention and the 1980s

• The Soviet intervention in Afghanistan in 1979 transformed regional geopolitics.
• India maintained relations with the Soviet-backed government while advocating a political settlement.
• Following Soviet withdrawal, India continued humanitarian assistance.

Rise of the Taliban

• During the Taliban’s first period of rule in the 1990s:
  • India did not recognise the Taliban government.
  • India maintained links with the Northern Alliance.
• India’s concerns centred on:
  • Religious extremism
  • Terrorism
  • Pakistan-backed militant networks
  • Regional instability.

IC-814 Hijacking

• In December 1999, Indian Airlines flight IC-814 was hijacked and eventually taken to Kandahar, then under Taliban control.
• India released three imprisoned militants to secure the hostages.
• The episode reinforced India’s concerns regarding terrorism and Taliban-era Afghanistan.

India–Afghanistan Relations: 2001–2021

• Following the collapse of the first Taliban regime in 2001, India dramatically expanded its presence in Afghanistan.
• India supported:
  • Democratic institutions
  • Reconstruction
  • Infrastructure
  • Education
  • Healthcare
  • Capacity building.
• India committed more than US$3 billion in development assistance.
• India became one of Afghanistan’s most important regional development partners.

Strategic Partnership Agreement, 2011

• India and Afghanistan signed a Strategic Partnership Agreement (SPA) in October 2011.
• It was Afghanistan’s first strategic partnership agreement with any country.
• Major areas included:
  • Infrastructure development
  • Institution building
  • Education
  • Capacity building
  • Investment
  • Trade
  • Security cooperation
  • Support for an Afghan-led peace process.

Major Indian Development Projects

Afghanistan Parliament Building

• India constructed the Afghan Parliament building in Kabul.
• It was inaugurated in December 2015.
• It symbolised India’s support for:
  • Democracy
  • Constitutional government
  • Afghan sovereignty.

India–Afghanistan Friendship Dam

• The Salma Dam, officially renamed the Afghan-India Friendship Dam, is located in Herat Province.
• It was inaugurated in 2016.
• It supports:
  • Hydroelectricity generation
  • Irrigation
  • Agricultural development.
• It remains one of the most visible symbols of India’s development partnership.

Zaranj–Delaram Highway

• India constructed the approximately 218-km Zaranj–Delaram Highway.
• It connects western Afghanistan with major Afghan road networks and facilitates access towards Iran’s Chabahar Port.
• Its strategic importance lies in providing Afghanistan and India an alternative connectivity route that reduces dependence on Pakistan.

Electricity Infrastructure

• India supported construction of:
  • Pul-e-Khumri–Kabul transmission line
  • Chimtala substation.
• These projects strengthened electricity availability in Kabul and surrounding areas.

Community Development Projects

• India has supported hundreds of High Impact Community Development Projects in:
  • Education
  • Healthcare
  • Agriculture
  • Irrigation
  • Rural development
  • Community infrastructure.

Connectivity

Pakistan Constraint

• India and Afghanistan do not share a currently usable direct land route.
• Pakistan’s restrictions on overland transit have historically constrained India-Afghanistan trade.
• Consequently, India has developed alternative connectivity mechanisms.

Chabahar Port

• Chabahar Port in Iran is strategically important for India’s Afghanistan and Central Asia policy.
• It can connect: India → Chabahar → Iran → Afghanistan → Central Asia

• Combined with the Zaranj–Delaram Highway, Chabahar provides an alternative to routes through Pakistan.
• Its importance extends beyond Afghanistan to India’s broader Central Asian connectivity strategy.

Air Freight Corridor

• The India-Afghanistan Air Freight Corridor became operational in 2017.
• It helped transport:
  • Dry fruits
  • Fresh fruits
  • Saffron
  • Pharmaceuticals
  • Other high-value goods.
• Its role has been affected by political changes after 2021, making Chabahar and third-country routes increasingly important.

Trade and Commerce

• India has historically been one of Afghanistan’s important South Asian trading partners.
• Major Afghan exports to India include:
  • Dry fruits and nuts
  • Raisins
  • Figs
  • Asafoetida
  • Saffron
  • Medicinal herbs
  • Fresh fruits.
• Major Indian exports include:
  • Pharmaceuticals
  • Textiles
  • Tea
  • Sugar
  • Machinery and manufactured products.

Preferential Trade Agreement

• India and Afghanistan signed a Preferential Trade Agreement (PTA) in 2003.
• It provided tariff concessions on selected products.
• Trade potential remains underutilised because of:
  • Political instability
  • Lack of direct land connectivity
  • Banking constraints
  • Sanctions-related uncertainty
  • High logistics costs.

TAPI Pipeline

• The proposed Turkmenistan–Afghanistan–Pakistan–India (TAPI) Pipeline aims to transport natural gas from Turkmenistan through Afghanistan and Pakistan to India.
• Its potential benefits include:
  • Energy security
  • Regional economic integration
  • Transit revenue for Afghanistan.
• However, its implementation remains constrained by:
  • Security conditions
  • Financing
  • Geopolitical tensions.
• Therefore, TAPI should currently be treated as a strategically important but unrealised project, rather than an operational energy corridor.

Cultural Relations

• India and Afghanistan share strong historical links in:
  • Art
  • Architecture
  • Language
  • Music
  • Cuisine
  • Buddhism
  • Indo-Islamic traditions.
• Indian films, television and music have traditionally enjoyed considerable popularity in Afghanistan.
• Historical cultural interaction is reflected in:
  • Gandhara art
  • Bamiyan
  • Indo-Afghan architecture
  • Persian literary traditions.

Education

• Education remains an important pillar of India’s people-centric engagement.
• India has historically provided ICCR scholarships and capacity-building programmes to Afghan students.
• Since 2023, India has also provided online scholarships to Afghan students, including women, through digital education platforms.
• Educational engagement allows India to maintain direct links with Afghan society despite political uncertainty.

Cricket Diplomacy

• Cricket has become an important instrument of India-Afghanistan people-to-people relations.
• Afghanistan has previously used Indian venues such as:
  • Greater Noida
  • Dehradun
  • Lucknow
    as home grounds.
• Afghan players such as:
  • Rashid Khan
  • Mohammad Nabi
  • Mujeeb Ur Rahman
    have developed strong recognition through the Indian Premier League (IPL).
• Cricket therefore represents an important form of sports diplomacy and soft power.

India–Afghanistan Relations after Taliban Takeover

Taliban’s Return in 2021

• The Taliban captured Kabul in August 2021 following the withdrawal of US-led forces.
• India evacuated diplomatic personnel and vulnerable individuals through Operation Devi Shakti.
• India’s initial approach was characterised by strategic caution.

India’s Core Concerns

India’s policy has focused on:

• Afghan territory must not be used for terrorism against India.
• Afghanistan should remain:
  • Peaceful
  • Stable
  • Sovereign
  • Free from terrorism.
• Humanitarian assistance should reach the Afghan people.
• Rights and welfare of:
  • Women
  • Girls
  • Minorities
  • Vulnerable groups
    remain important concerns.
• India has also supported the principle of inclusive governance.

These concerns broadly remain consistent with India’s emphasis on UNSC Resolution 2593.

India’s Re-engagement with the Taliban Authorities

Technical Mission in Kabul

• India deployed a technical team to Kabul in June 2022.
• Its primary purpose was to:
  • Coordinate humanitarian assistance
  • Monitor India’s development projects
  • Maintain functional engagement.
• This represented engagement without immediate political recognition.

High-Level Engagement

• India’s engagement has gradually moved from technical-level contacts towards structured political engagement.
• In January 2025, Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri met Afghanistan’s Acting Foreign Minister Amir Khan Muttaqi in Dubai.
• In October 2025, External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar held talks with Muttaqi in New Delhi, marking a significant expansion of direct engagement. The MEA described the visit as an important step in advancing bilateral ties.
• Thus, the post-2021 relationship can increasingly be described as: Non-recognition + Functional Engagement + Humanitarian Assistance + Strategic Dialogue

Humanitarian Assistance

• Humanitarian assistance remains a major pillar of India’s post-2021 Afghanistan policy.
• India has provided:
  • Wheat
  • Medicines
  • Vaccines
  • Medical supplies
  • Disaster-relief material
  • Winter assistance.
• Assistance has also been channelled through organisations such as the World Food Programme (WFP).
• This allows India to distinguish between: Relations with the Afghan People ≠ Formal Recognition of the Political Regime

Significance of Afghanistan for India

Geostrategic Location

• Afghanistan lies at the crossroads of:
  • South Asia
  • Central Asia
  • West Asia.
• A stable Afghanistan can serve as India’s gateway towards Central Asia.

Security

• Instability in Afghanistan can facilitate:
  • Terrorism
  • Radicalisation
  • Arms trafficking
  • Drug trafficking
  • Regional extremist networks.
• Therefore, Afghanistan’s stability is directly linked to India’s national security.

Pakistan Factor

• Afghanistan has historically been important in India’s strategic calculations because Pakistan seeks influence there.
• A sovereign Afghanistan capable of pursuing an independent foreign policy reduces Pakistan’s ability to acquire uncontested strategic influence.

Central Asian Connectivity

• Afghanistan provides the geographically shortest land bridge between the Indian subcontinent and parts of Central Asia.
• Its stability can improve India’s access to:
  • Turkmenistan
  • Uzbekistan
  • Tajikistan
  • Wider Eurasia.

Energy Security

• Afghanistan is geographically relevant to proposed projects such as TAPI.
• It could eventually facilitate India’s access to Central Asian energy resources.

Mineral Resources

• Afghanistan possesses significant deposits of:
  • Copper
  • Iron ore
  • Lithium-bearing minerals
  • Rare-earth-related resources
  • Gold
  • Other minerals.
• However, commercial potential should not be overstated because extraction remains constrained by:
  • Infrastructure
  • Security
  • Investment conditions
  • International financial restrictions.

Major Challenges in India–Afghanistan Relations

Terrorism

• India’s foremost concern is that Afghan territory should not become a safe haven for anti-India terrorist organisations.
• Groups of concern in the wider Afghanistan-Pakistan theatre include:
  • Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT)
  • Jaish-e-Mohammed (JeM)
  • Islamic State Khorasan Province (ISKP).
• India continues to emphasise verifiable action against terrorist networks.

Pakistan–Afghanistan Dynamics

• Pakistan historically exercised considerable influence over the Taliban.
• However, the assumption that the present Taliban government is simply a Pakistani proxy is increasingly inadequate.
• Pakistan-Taliban relations have themselves experienced serious tensions over:
  • Durand Line
  • Tehrik-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP)
  • Border clashes
  • Cross-border terrorism.
• In 2026, India publicly condemned Pakistani airstrikes inside Afghanistan, illustrating the changing regional strategic environment.

China Factor

• China seeks engagement with Afghanistan because of:
  • Mineral resources
  • Belt and Road connectivity
  • Security concerns in Xinjiang
  • Regional geopolitical influence.
• India must therefore maintain sufficient engagement to avoid strategic exclusion from Afghanistan.

Human Rights and Women’s Rights

• Restrictions imposed by the Taliban on:
  • Girls’ education
  • Women’s employment
  • Public participation
    remain major international concerns.
• This creates a difficult balance for India between:
  • Strategic engagement
  • Humanitarian considerations
  • Support for inclusive governance.

Absence of Formal Recognition

• India’s expanding engagement with Taliban authorities should not automatically be equated with formal recognition.
• This distinction gives India diplomatic flexibility while protecting its strategic interests.

Drug Trafficking

• Afghanistan has historically been a major source of illicit opiates.
• Narcotics trafficking can affect India through regional trafficking networks.
• India therefore has an interest in:
  • Counter-narcotics cooperation
  • Border security
  • Intelligence sharing
  • Alternative livelihoods in Afghanistan.

Connectivity Constraints

• Pakistan continues to limit India’s direct overland connectivity with Afghanistan.
• Alternative routes through:
  • Chabahar
  • Iran
  • Air corridors
  • Third countries
    are therefore strategically important.

Changing Regional Geopolitics

• Afghanistan is increasingly becoming an arena of interaction among:
  • India
  • Pakistan
  • China
  • Iran
  • Russia
  • Central Asian republics.
• India’s approach therefore cannot be based solely on the political character of the Afghan government.
• It must simultaneously protect:
  • Security interests
  • Connectivity
  • Development investments
  • People-to-people goodwill
  • Long-term geopolitical influence.

Way Forward

Continue Pragmatic Engagement

• India should maintain functional and structured engagement with the authorities in Kabul.
• Engagement should not necessarily imply unconditional political recognition.

Maintain Red Lines on Terrorism

• India should insist that Afghan territory must never be used for anti-India terrorism.
• Counter-terrorism should remain a central element of bilateral dialogue.

Preserve People-Centric Diplomacy

• India’s greatest strategic asset in Afghanistan is its goodwill among ordinary Afghans.
• India should continue:
  • Humanitarian aid
  • Scholarships
  • Medical assistance
  • Capacity building
  • Community projects.

Resume Viable Development Projects

• Subject to security conditions, India can gradually restart unfinished development projects.
• Priority should be given to:
  • Healthcare
  • Education
  • Irrigation
  • Agriculture
  • Water supply
  • Community infrastructure.

Strengthen Chabahar Connectivity

• India should integrate: Chabahar Port + Iranian Transport Network + Afghanistan + Central Asia

• This would reduce dependence on Pakistan-controlled transit routes.

Strengthen Regional Diplomacy

• India should coordinate Afghanistan policy with:
  • Iran
  • Russia
  • Central Asian republics
  • Other relevant regional partners.
• Regional cooperation should focus on:
  • Terrorism
  • Drug trafficking
  • Humanitarian relief
  • Connectivity
  • Economic stability.

Expand Education Diplomacy

• Scholarships and digital education should be expanded, particularly where they can continue benefiting Afghan women and students despite domestic restrictions.
• Education offers India a powerful instrument of long-term soft power.

Use Cricket and Culture as Soft Power

• India should strengthen:
  • Cricket cooperation
  • Cultural exchanges
  • Academic connections
  • Medical links
  • Afghan diaspora engagement.

Balance Principles and Interests

India’s Afghanistan policy should combine: Strategic Realism + Counter-terrorism + Humanitarianism + People-to-People Goodwill

• Complete disengagement could create strategic space for other powers.
• Unconditional engagement, however, could weaken India’s concerns regarding terrorism, inclusivity and human rights.
• A calibrated middle path therefore remains the most suitable approach.

Conclusion

• India-Afghanistan relations are based on centuries of civilisational interaction and unusually strong people-to-people goodwill.
• India’s post-2001 development partnership created considerable strategic and societal capital in Afghanistan.
• The Taliban takeover of 2021 fundamentally altered the political environment but did not eliminate India’s long-term interests.
• India’s current approach has therefore evolved from isolation towards pragmatic and structured engagement without abandoning its security concerns.
• Afghanistan remains important for India’s:
  • Counter-terrorism strategy
  • Central Asian connectivity
  • Regional stability
  • Energy interests
  • Continental geopolitics.
• India’s future policy should rest on five pillars:

Security + Connectivity + Humanitarian Assistance + Development + Strategic Engagement

• The central objective should remain a peaceful, stable, sovereign and terrorism-free Afghanistan that maintains friendly relations with India and contributes to wider regional stability.