Afghanistan urges stronger partnership with India for 'regional stability, shared prosperity'

Afghanistan has called for a stronger political and economic partnership with India, signalling Kabul's desire to deepen a relationship that has expanded significantly over the past year as New Delhi cautiously recalibrates its engagement with the Taliban administration.

Afghan authorities said closer cooperation between the two countries could contribute to regional stability, economic integration and "shared prosperity", with trade, investment, connectivity and political engagement emerging as the principal pillars of the evolving relationship.

The latest outreach comes five years after the Taliban returned to power in Kabul in August 2021 and at a time when Afghanistan is seeking deeper engagement with regional powers to overcome economic isolation, attract investment and expand access to international markets.

Kabul pitches stronger ties

Afghanistan has emphasised that India remains an important political and economic partner and has sought expansion of bilateral engagement beyond humanitarian assistance.

Kabul has increasingly encouraged Indian businesses to explore opportunities in sectors including agriculture, pharmaceuticals, mining, textiles and infrastructure. Afghan officials have also pushed for stronger institutional links between the business communities of the two countries.

The approach reflects a broader shift in Afghanistan's foreign policy towards building economic relationships with countries in the region despite the Taliban government's continuing lack of widespread international recognition.

For Kabul, India offers not only a large market for Afghan products but also an alternative economic and connectivity partner at a time when Afghanistan's relations with neighbouring Pakistan have faced considerable strain.

Engagement gathers pace

India's relationship with Taliban-ruled Afghanistan has changed substantially since the cautious contacts that followed the collapse of the previous Afghan government in August 2021.

New Delhi initially evacuated its embassy personnel following the Taliban takeover but subsequently reopened a technical mission in Kabul in June 2022 to coordinate humanitarian assistance and maintain engagement with the Afghan people.

The relationship entered a more substantive phase thereafter. In January 2025, Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri met Afghanistan's Acting Foreign Minister Amir Khan Muttaqi in Dubai, where the two sides discussed humanitarian assistance, development projects, trade and the use of Iran's Chabahar port for Afghan commerce.

A major diplomatic step followed in October 2025 when Muttaqi visited India — his first trip to the country after the Taliban's return to power. During the visit, India announced the upgrading of its technical mission in Kabul to the status of an embassy, although New Delhi has stopped short of formally recognising the Taliban government.

The engagement has continued into 2026. Afghan Agriculture Minister Ataullah Omari travelled to India in July with a delegation seeking expanded cooperation in agriculture and livestock, illustrating how contacts have broadened from diplomacy and humanitarian assistance into sector-specific economic engagement.

Trade takes centre stage

Economic cooperation has become increasingly important to both sides.

India-Afghanistan bilateral trade reached about $1 billion in 2025, although it remained below the roughly $1.5-billion level recorded in 2019-20 before the Taliban's return to power and the subsequent disruption of Afghanistan's economy.

Afghanistan primarily exports agricultural products, dry fruits, nuts, saffron and other commodities to India, while Indian exports include pharmaceuticals, medical products, food items and manufactured goods.

Both governments have consequently explored ways to improve cargo movement, payment mechanisms and business-to-business connections. Plans for air freight links between Kabul and Indian cities have also figured prominently in discussions as the two sides attempt to reduce logistical obstacles.

Afghanistan's interest in expanding commerce with India has assumed added importance amid repeated disruptions to its traditional trade routes through Pakistan.

Chabahar gains importance

At the heart of the economic relationship is Iran's Chabahar port, which provides India with access to Afghanistan without having to transit through Pakistan.

New Delhi has repeatedly emphasised Chabahar's importance for Afghanistan's trade and humanitarian requirements. The route connects the Iranian port with Afghanistan through the Zaranj-Delaram highway, which India helped construct.

The corridor offers landlocked Afghanistan an alternative route to the Arabian Sea while allowing Indian goods to reach Afghan markets without depending on Pakistani territory.

The importance of the route has grown further amid tensions between Kabul and Islamabad. Recent analysis indicates that Afghan trade through Chabahar has expanded substantially, strengthening the port's potential role as a gateway linking India, Afghanistan, Iran and eventually Central Asia.

India's development footprint

India's leverage in Afghanistan also rests on a development partnership built over more than two decades.

New Delhi has invested around $3 billion in more than 500 development projects across Afghanistan, ranging from roads and electricity infrastructure to schools, healthcare facilities and community projects. Major symbols of India's presence include the Afghan-India Friendship Dam in Herat, the Afghan Parliament building in Kabul and the Zaranj-Delaram highway.

India has maintained humanitarian support following the Taliban takeover, supplying food, medicines and other assistance even while avoiding formal recognition of the government.

The 2026 Union Budget raised India's allocation for development assistance to Afghanistan to ₹150 crore from ₹100 crore, underlining New Delhi's decision to retain a developmental presence in the country.

Security factor

Behind the expanding economic relationship lies an equally important security calculation.

India has repeatedly stressed that Afghan territory must not be used by terrorist groups to threaten other countries. For New Delhi, developments in Afghanistan remain directly connected with regional terrorism and security in South Asia.

Kabul, meanwhile, has sought to reassure India over its security concerns while presenting itself as a potential partner in maintaining regional stability.

The relationship has also developed against the backdrop of deteriorating Afghanistan-Pakistan ties, including disputes over the Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan and cross-border violence. Analysts have consequently viewed India's growing engagement with Kabul as part of a wider realignment in the region.

Recognition question remains

Despite the expanding relationship, India has not formally recognised the Taliban government.

New Delhi's approach remains one of pragmatic engagement — maintaining diplomatic contacts, humanitarian assistance and economic cooperation while stopping short of granting political recognition.

That distinction remains significant given continuing international criticism of Taliban policies, particularly restrictions imposed on women and girls. Five years after the Taliban takeover, girls remain barred from education beyond the sixth grade and women face sweeping restrictions on employment and participation in public life.

Russia remains the only country to have formally recognised the Taliban government, even as a growing number of countries have expanded diplomatic engagement with Kabul.

Afghanistan's latest call for stronger political and economic ties with India therefore comes at a pivotal moment. What began after 2021 as limited humanitarian engagement has gradually expanded into diplomacy, trade, development and connectivity.

For Kabul, deeper ties with New Delhi offer access to one of the world's largest markets and an important regional partner. For India, engagement provides a means of preserving its long-standing influence in Afghanistan while protecting its economic and security interests in a rapidly changing neighbourhood.