ABSTRACT
This chapter discusses the strategic relations between India and Afghanistan during three historical periods in Afghanistan: namely, post-Soviet Union’s troops’ exit from Afghanistan; post-9/11; and post-US troops’ exit from Afghanistan. It dwells on people-to-people, government-to-government, and intelligence-to-intelligence bonds. In the 1990s, the Taliban’s expansion, their unpleasant deeds, and the weakening of the Northern Alliance worried India. Then another hijacking occurred. However, this time it was the terror attacks on New York on September 11, 2001. Despite Islamabad backing the Taliban to fight the US-led mission in Afghanistan, had India decided to deploy its troops in Afghanistan, it would have heated Pakistan’s attacks in Afghanistan. However, Pakistan continuously accuses India of proxy war in Afghanistan. Since the Taliban took power, New Delhi has been taking cautious steps in dealing with the Taliban. Abandoning Afghanistan under Pakistan backed Taliban might pose a threat to the security of India. The chapter concludes with the reasons behind the Afghans’ inclination towards India.
