Moscow's Kabul push to create space for India
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India is unlikely to immediately follow Russia's move to formally recognise the Taliban 2.0 regime in Afghanistan, but Moscow's decision opens space for New Delhi's strategy in the region, according to experts.Ties between New Delhi and Kabul have been warming up over the past year, with India stepping up its engagements with Taliban 2.0 and the regime condemning the Pahalgam attack.India's strategic partner Russia this week became the first country to officially recognise the new Taliban regime. The move could bolster India's outreach while Kabul-Islamabad ties remain lukewarm."Russian overtures to the Taliban may inadvertently open new space for India to assert its own agency," said Vinay Kaura, assistant professor, department of international affairs and security studies, Sardar Patel University of Police, Security and Criminal Justice, Rajasthan, and a watcher of Afghanistan-Pakistan region. "As Moscow navigates its new relationship with Kabul, it will likely seek to avoid dependence on China. This creates an opening for India to engage Russia as a partner in regional stability, perhaps restoring some of the strategic balance that has been lost in recent years."In May, India relaunched visa services for Afghan nationals and visas will be issued primarily for people with ailments on a case-to-case basis.In April, external affairs minister S Jaishankkar spoke by phone with Taliban's Foreign Minister, Amir Khan Muttaqi, thanking him for condemning the terrorist attack in Kashmir.The Taliban regime is keen to utilise both the International North-South Transport Corridor (INSTC) as well as Chabahar Port for global trade and thereby reduce dependence on the Pakistani ports.
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