India Should Maintain Cordial
Relations with Afghanistan

The visit of the Foreign Affairs Minister of the Taliban government in Afghanistan, Maulavi Amir Khan Muttaqi, was a welcome development as the country has been a close ally of India for a long time and its strategic significance in view of India’s fraught relations with the common neighbour of both countries, Pakistan.

One of the important developments in connection with the visit is the resumption of diplomatic relations between India and Afghanistan. The transition from the US-controlled regime in Kabul to the Taliban-led administration there had created much uncertainties, as many Western powers had refused to recognise the new administration and had pressured other countries to follow their dictates. India was also under such pressure from the United States and its allies, which resulted in a period of total uncertainty in India-Afghan relations. There had not been any proper diplomatic channels, which caused immense difficulties for the two governments as well as the people and businesses from both countries.

Now India has announced its decision to reopen its Embassy in Kabul, and Afghanistan also will have its full diplomatic corps in India. This will give a great boost to trade and other relations between the two countries and also help sort out any problems at the highest level. The Afghan Foreign Minister’s various statements while in India have indicated that they share India’s concerns about Pakistan’s role in fomenting tensions in the region. It is an important development considering that the US Administration has been trying to get closer to Pakistan in recent days as a counterweight to India and also to offset their loss of influence in Afghanistan.

For India, the visit of Muttaqi has helped cement its historical and cultural ties with Afghanistan, as the Afghan leader paid a visit to the historic Darul Uloom in Deoband, Uttar Pradesh. This scholarly institution of Islam has been a world renowned academic centre for Islamic studies, and the Afghan Minister highlighted its importance to the new leadership in his country when he described it as his “Alma mater.” In fact, his discussions with the venerable rector, scholars and students at Darul Uloom proved to be an occasion when these close cultural relations were brought to the attention of the entire world. It also highlighted that India, as a country with one of the largest Muslim populations in the world, has a greater role to play in the affairs of the emerging world order where Islamic countries are occupying a greater and more significant role. As for Indian Muslims it is clear that they will have to discharge a critical role in these matters in the coming days. For the BJP-led government, it should provide some lessons that in the complex world today, its hegemonic and parochial agenda of Hindutva politics might not help them go ahead much farther. They will have to adopt more tolerant and inclusive policies to survive and prosper in the contemporary world.

Mohammad Shafi
National Vice President
Social Democratic Party of India