T he recent visit of Amir Khan Muttaqi, the acting Foreign Minister of Taliban-ruled Afghanistan, to India marks a significant shift in New Delhi’s diplomatic posture towards Kabul. Mr. Muttaqi’s meetings, press interactions, and his visit to Darul Uloom Deoband, a historic and influential seminary, were laden with symbolism and strategic intent. While Mr. Mutaqqi projected moderation (not withstanding his first press conference where women journalists were not invited), the deeper subtext suggests an evolving real politic in which India weighs its security concerns, regional influence, and economic interest against its old principled unease with the Taliban.

History of the Taliban

When triumphant Taliban fighters entered Kabul in August 2021, it did not just signify the fall of a gover

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