Taliban seek trade & recognition in India despite past hostility

ISLAMABAD: For over two decades, the Taliban portrayed India as a Hindu “kafir” state and accused it of backing anti-Taliban forces in Kabul. Today, the same regime is sending its foreign and commerce ministers to New Delhi, seeking trade, investment, reconstruction aid, and access to ports and corridors.

Once dismissing Indian consulates as intelligence hubs and celebrating jihad in Kashmir, the Taliban now prioritize economic survival over ideology, quietly setting aside anti-India rhetoric.

While maintaining rigid Sharia policies domestically, they show pragmatic flexibility in foreign relations, courting a Hindu-majority state while bypassing their Muslim neighbor Pakistan amid tensions.

The visits signal the Taliban’s focus on de-facto recognition, trade routes, and diplomatic legitimacy, highlighting a shift from ideological posturing to transactional realpolitik in their engagement with India.