Will Indian Officials Attend Taliban's 'Victory Day' Event In Delhi? What Centre Said

Days before the Taliban marks five years in power with a Victory Day reception at its Delhi embassy, the Ministry of External Affairs weighed in on where things currently stand between India and Afghanistan.

At Friday's briefing, MEA spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal was asked about the reception. His answer stuck to familiar ground, India and Afghanistan, he said, have seen a string of engagements over the past year or so, including several ministerial visits from Kabul. These, he added, had helped push forward cooperation on trade, connectivity and development work. He also invoked India's old relationship with the Afghan people, saying New Delhi wants to keep building on it.

Monday's event marks August 15, 2021, the day Kabul fell to the Taliban as the last of the US and NATO troops packed up and left. The invite for the reception has gone out under the name of Mufti Noor Ahmad Noor, Afghanistan's charge d'affaires in Delhi, carrying the official seal of what the Taliban calls the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan.

New Delhi still hasn't recognised that government, a position it shares with most of the world. But it has, for a while now, let the Taliban operate out of the Afghan embassy here. And this year, officials indicate, India's role in the celebrations could go beyond a formality. Senior officials may actually show up. That's a notable departure from the years just after the takeover, when India largely avoided the Taliban and, for a stretch, pulled its own staff out of Kabul altogether.

Why The Warmth, And Why Now

A lot of this comes down to Pakistan. Kabul's relationship with Islamabad has been deteriorating for months, with repeated flare-ups along the border. As that friendship sours, the Taliban has been casting a wider net for partners, and India has been one of the beneficiaries.

Over the last year, the two governments have been fairly public about backing each other. India has stood by Kabul in its border dispute with Pakistan. The Taliban has returned the favour on Kashmir, going so far as to co-sign a statement last year that referred to J&K as part of India and condemned the Pahalgam attack, a line that didn't sit well in Islamabad.

None of this happened overnight. India reopened a technical mission in Kabul last year, and has since let Taliban-appointed diplomats take charge of the Afghan mission in Delhi, all without extending formal recognition. The relationship picked up further after Afghan foreign minister Amir Khan Muttaqi visited India earlier last year, a trip many read as a turning point.

Officially, though, India is still picking its words with care. "Engagement," "long-standing ties," the language stays deliberately short of recognition. Whether that changes, or at least how it looks, may become a little clearer on Monday, depending on just how many Indian officials turn up for tea.