Under the lineage of the Taliban rule in Afghanistan, this is the second time they have occupied it. But a major thing to note here is that the occupancy occurred very swiftly without any bloodshed till now. The Taliban military infiltrated inside Afghanistan during mid-August and their honorable President fled away, making conditions difficult for the allies of Afghanistan.

India is also one of the major allies of Afghanistan and has soft power there. But now the dilemma stands for India as to how to direct its Geopolitical situation. The Prime Minister of India, Mr. Narendra Modi has made no official comments. But there have been concerns in the Cabinet regarding the situation of Afghanistan. The Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) and Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) of India are constantly concerned about the arising situation, the bomb attacks, and what steps need to be taken there.

There are a few challenges considering the Geopolitical relations of India and Afghanistan.

• The biggest challenge lies in bringing home the Indian nationals. All the commercial flights of India are facing problems in takeoff and landing at Kabul Airport. Taliban has restricted Indian commercial flights inside Kabul since its takeover because it does not have any preferred state of discussion with India.

Nearly 1500 Indians are stranded on the land of Afghanistan risking their life and property. The government has recently decided to send C-17 Globe Master to evacuate the diplomats, ITBP soldiers, and other nationals who are stuck there but the question is will this attempt be successful? Isn’t there any negotiation required?

• The next big challenge lies in helping thousands of Afghan locals who are stranded there and in the need of help. These people were allied with the Ashraf Ghani government and now seek to leave the country. For this purpose, they require the help of international communities. Earlier this month, they came to Indian Embassy in Kabul to get a visa from the govt. and leave the country.

Till now, the MEA had given the approval to facilitate only the Hindu and Sikh minorities in Afghanistan. There is still no decision from the side of the Indian govt. regarding the rescue operation of the Afghans. If they allow the Afghans to come as refugees then the challenge would be to make arrangements for these people inside our nation. Also, rising dismay between India and the Taliban-led Afghanistan govt. causes India to rethink and analyze every decision it takes regarding Afghans.

• Another challenge is to recognize the Taliban regime in Afghanistan. The Indian government currently has the Presidency at UNSC due to which it has to decide whether or not to include Afghanistan in the meetings and discussions. Also, at the UN every country had made it clear including India that they will not recognize any military imposed rule over Afghanistan. But now, due to a sudden turn in the geopolitical situation with Pakistan supporting the Taliban constantly and America fleeing away from the country, the problem is to reconsider the decision of recognizing the military-led government.

For ages, India has used its soft power to lead development in Afghanistan. Be it in setting up a constitutional rule or helping to get equal status for Afghan women. But now, the question stands in front of India whether it will recognize the Taliban govt. despite the atrocities created on women there or will it lead to something else for India?

• Regardless of whether India recognizes the Taliban govt. or not it has to overcome a bigger challenge. Mandatory conditions of opening up communication channels with the Taliban are developing. Due to the aforementioned obstacle of carrying out rescue operations for the Indian nationals in Afghanistan or for logistics requirements also, it is necessary that India communicates with the Taliban. Until now, India had refrained from holding any talks with the Taliban but now there are many issues that need to be tackled which require the mutual consent of both nations, like using the Afghanistan airspace, transit trade, relief from terrorism, or humanitarian assistance.

India has made it clear that it doesn’t want to repeat the mistake of hi-jacking IC 814 leading to the Pulwama attack and other terrorist operations in India. To prevent this, India has to play strategically with the Taliban and establish talks with them.

• Another challenge goes with establishing strategic choices with Afghanistan. Till now, India and Afghanistan were very close and their foreign relations were pretty strong since Afghanistan had a democratic government. But now, due to the imposition of military or more of a terrorist rule there, there are many issues that may hamper Indian security. An important question on the shoulders of the Indian administration is, whether or not they will engage with Pakistan directly. Till now India had the policy of refraining from any talks until terrorism was completely removed from Pakistan but now, since Pak’s proximity with the Taliban, there are many anti-India terror groups that have been established in Afghanistan. They increase the risk of terror attacks and activities near the India-Pak border, or inside India itself.

All of India’s future plans are at risk due to the positive involvement of Pakistan and China with the Taliban. The Chabahar port created by India in Iran for establishing future connectivity also rests in dilemma. All the plans and strategies of India are not going to be met easily since the Taliban’s evasion and this is clear.

It seems like India needs to reconsider every analysis is made about the Taliban and Afghanistan before dipping its legs in the dirty waters.