As Afghanistan’s acting Foreign Minister Amir Khan Muttaqi begins his first official visit to India on Thursday, the shadow of Bagram Airbase looms large over the bilateral diplomatic agenda. The visit coincides with growing regional unease over reports that the United States may be exploring ways to regain access to the strategic airbase outside Kabul. This move could reconfigure the security calculus across the Indo-Pacific and Eurasia.

Bagram, under Taliban control since the U.S. withdrawal in 2021, has re-entered global headlines following remarks by former U.S. President Donald Trump, who described the base as a “strategic necessity.” He pointed to its location — barely an hour’s flight from China’s Xinjiang province — and hinted at its potential use in countering Beijing’s growing i

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