8am: The visit of a senior Indian diplomat to Kabul and his meeting with Taliban officials—described by Indian media as a “significant development”—has reignited discussions about New Delhi’s role in Afghanistan’s politics. Although India did not sever all relations with the Taliban upon their rise to power, it has kept them at a level that can hardly be described as ideal. With the fall of the Afghan republic, the general perception was that India had lost the game in favor of Pakistan. This perception didn’t seem entirely unrealistic in the early days of the Taliban’s rule. Pakistan’s ISI openly acted as a power broker, resolving the deadlock in the Taliban’s cabinet formation, allowing the Pakistani military to flaunt its influence over India more than ever. But as time passed, it became clear that Islamabad had viewed the situation overly optimistically. The belief that Pakistan’s military had won both the political and military game in Afghanistan proved mistaken, as New Delhi was unlikely to easily abandon the scene. Gradually, Taliban officials openly expressed their desire to improve relations with India, and India’s embassy in Kabul resumed its operations. Click here to read more (external link).
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