Roundtable on ‘Navigating Complexities: India’s Strategic Ties with Taliban 2.0’

On 07 March 2025, the Vivekananda International Foundation (VIF) organized a Roundtable on “Navigating Complexities: India’s Strategic Ties with Taliban 2.0”. The panel included Ambassador Jayant Prasad, Prof (Dr.) Raghav Sharma, Prof Bilquees Daud, Ambassador Gautam Mukhopadhaya and Dr Anwesha Ghosh. The discussion was also attended by Dr. Arvind Gupta, Director (VIF), Lt. General R. K. Sawhney (Retd.), and other senior fellows and researchers from the VIF. Dr. Arvind Gupta delivered the opening remarks by highlighting the current political situation in Afghanistan and India’s growing engagement with the current regime.

The roundtable discussion focussed on India's re-assessment of its foreign policy toward Afghanistan following the US-NATO military withdrawal in August 2021. The meeting highlighted that India is navigating its relationship with the Taliban, balancing security and economic interests while addressing concerns over human rights violations, particularly those affecting women. It was discussed during the roundtable that the Taliban’s shift from its previous regime to the current administration has introduced new complexities for India, as the group now is more technologically advanced but remain ideologically divided, thereby, complicating diplomatic engagements with regional powers. Further, the Taliban’s internal political fragmentation, influenced by historical power struggles, affects its domestic policies and techniques in governance. The speakers agreed that India's approach vis-à-vis the interim government should remain largely transactional, and primarily strategic with a focus on regional security. The meeting also emphasized education as a vital tool for promoting social change and reducing radicalization in Afghanistan, and suggested different ways through which India can support educational initiatives, particularly for the Afghan women. Finally, the discussion also highlighted on Afghanistan’s internal challenges, including ethnic identity conflicts and the detrimental effects of past superpower interventions, which have fostered corruption and hindered the nation-building process in the country.