India's visa resumption for Afghans and warming ties with the Taliban explained

Straits Times

4 days ago

Afghan women receiving food aid donated by the Indian government, in Kabul on May 18. PHOTO: AFP
New warmth between the Taliban and India, as visa restrictions eased for Afghans
NEW DELHI – Afghan national Parwana Hussain last met her family in Afghanistan in February 2021, six months before the Taliban seized power and Nato forces withdrew from the country.
She has no wish to return given the curbs on women but hopes her two younger brothers can now join her in India .
India ended a near four-year visa freeze and announced a new visa system on April 29 for Afghan nationals for students, business and medical tourists – a cautious re-engagement with the Taliban, once shunned by New Delhi.
The move was met with guarded optimism among Afghans amid uncertainty over the number of visas India will issue and the ease of obtaining them.
'We don't know what the rules will be. (But) I hope my brothers can enrol in college for the next academic session,' said Ms Hussain.
'It has been tough the last few years not meeting my family.'
India had cancelled all visas for Afghans in Aug, 2021 after the Taliban seized power – as a security measure, amid reports of stolen documents and security concerns.
A new electronic visa system later introduced remain limited mainly to Afghan Sikhs and Hindus.
This left families divided, students stranded and medical patients unable to travel.
What changed?
India has not clarified how many visas it will now issue or how accessible the process will be. But the move is its strongest signal yet of a strategic policy shift towards Afghanistan.
This turnaround is set against a broader contest for influence there, especially between India and Pakistan, with China increasingly backing Islamabad's overtures to Kabul.
India doesn't want to cede ground in Afghanistan, where it had built deep ties over two decades,' said former Indian diplomat Zikrur Rahman.
'This is the right time to open up to them. The Afghans have always been strong supporters of India,' he said.
India has taken a more receptive stance towards the Taliban this year, while Pakistan, with support from China, is also mending ties after friction emerged due to Islamabad's expulsion of Afghan refugees and border tensions.
On May 21, Afghanistan agreed to join the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) after a trilateral meeting in Beijing – a development closely watched in New Delhi.
Just two days after India resumed visas, Pakistan and Afghanistan upgraded diplomatic ties, raising respective envoys to ambassador level.
'The Taliban government in Afghanistan has been largely pragmatic about its relationships with its extended neighbours, be it China, India or countries in the Gulf,' said Mr Hussain Haqqani, a former Pakistan ambassador to the US and a senior fellow at the Hudson Institute think-tank.
'The Taliban know they need economic investment and humanitarian aid from countries in the extended neighbourhood.'
He also stated that the CPEC is strategically important for China because it 'not only helps to stabilise Afghanistan economically but also gives an incentive to both Pakistan and Afghanistan to crack down on any terror groups' such as Tehrik-e Taliban Pakistan and Islamic State Khorasan Province, which have targeted Chinese projects and workers.
Increased engagement
Though India has not officially recognised the Taliban -led government – no country in the world has – diplomatic contract has deepened this year.
Since 2021, India has kept its diplomatic mission open and maintained people-to-people links through humanitarian assistance including medicine and food. In 2025-2026, India allocated 1 billion rupees (S$15 million) for aid to Afghanistan.
It has also continued to offer 1,000 scholarships for online undergraduate and postgraduate studies, including for the current academic year.
High-level contact between the two countries accelerated in 2025.
In January, India's foreign secretary Vikram Misri met Afghanistan's acting foreign minister Mawlawi Amir Khan Muttaqi in the United Arab Emirates where they discussed the use of Chabahar Port in Iran for Afghan trade.
On May 15, external affairs minister S. Jaishankar spoke on the phone with Mr Muttaqi – the highest level of interaction yet.
The conversation came days after the Taliban government condemned the deadly terror attack in Pahalgam on April 22, which left 25 Indians and one Nepali dead . Subsequent cross-border air strikes and drone attacks strained ties further.
Following the call, director of public communication in the Afghan ministry of foreign affairs Hafiz Zia Ahmed said on X that Ms Muttaqi had requested for Indian visas for Afghan patients and visitors.
Analysts said that India's visa resumption marks an essential step towards normalising ties.
'India has maintained that it seeks to nurture its traditional people-to-people relationship with Afghanistan. Without resuming visas, there can be no normal contact between Indians and Afghans,' said former Indian ambassador to Afghanistan Jayant Prasad.
The Taliban's return to power in 2021 was initially seen as a major setback for India, which had poured US$3 billion (S$3.9 billion) over the previous two decades in rebuilding efforts . This included funding 500 infrastructural projects, such as roads, schools and the parliament building.
New Delhi had balanced big-ticket projects like the Salma Dam in Herat province with smaller projects in education and health, such as building schools. These efforts were also directed towards fostering goodwill among Afghans.
'There is a great reservoir of goodwill for India among Afghans,' said Professor Harsh V. Pant, vice-president for studies and foreign policy at the Observer Research Foundation, a New Delhi-based think-tank.
But the issue is whether it can trust the Taliban on security – given their growing ties with China, he added.
Security concerns include terror groups operating in the region and drug trafficking.
'India is pragmatic – the Taliban is the authority in Afghanistan,' Prof Pant added.
Besides, India also views Afghanistan as a gateway to Central Asia and is working to develop the Chabahar Port for better regional access.
Additionally, India, as a growing economy, is also keen to tap on mineral-rich Afghanistan.
India-Afghanistan relations are expected to move ahead gradually.
Deputy Minister of Economy Abdul Latif Nazari told Afghan news channel TOLOnews : 'The resumption of visa issuance by India for Afghans, especially Afghan businessmen, could be a constructive step and will be effective in expanding political, economic, and trade relations.'
Bilateral trade between India and Afghanistan was US$890 million between March 2024 and March 2025, according to the Afghan government. Afghanistan's exports to India, which included dried fruits and nuts, accounted for US$627 million in that same period. In 2023-2024 bilateral trade between the two countries was around US$998 million.
The Taliban is also seeking Indian investments in mining and reconstruction, and medical tourism – once a US$17.6-$23.4 million opportunity for India – is expected to resume.
'The relationship will take will steadily grow to the pre-2021 era,' said Mr Rahman.
'The Taliban are also opening up to other countries like China. They realise they need global recognition and can't afford isolation. They are shifting towards moderation,' he added.
Away from the geopolitical jostling, ordinary Afghans are simply relieved. India hosts an estimated 15,000 strong Afghan community.
Mr Eshaq Sarwari, 31, a PhD student, missed his father's funeral last year as his visa did not permit travel to Afghanistan and back.
He hopes to visit his family at some point once his visa is extended under the new visa regime.
'This is the best decision by the Indian government,' said Mr Sarwari who hopes they issue more visas.
Nirmala Ganapathy is India bureau chief at The Straits Times. She is based in New Delhi and writes about India's foreign policy and politics.
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