India’s recent diplomatic outreach to the Taliban-led government in Kabul marks a significant strategic pivot—one that underscores New Delhi’s tactical brilliance as it prepares to respond to the Pahalgam terror attack, while diplomatically isolating Pakistan on multiple fronts.
Key Developments:
🔶 India’s Taliban Outreach – A Diplomatic Coup
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For the first time since the Taliban takeover in August 2021, an Indian delegation led by Joint Secretary M Anand Prakash visited Kabul on April 28, meeting Taliban Foreign Minister Amir Khan Muttaqi.
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The Taliban officially condemned the Pahalgam massacre, calling it a terrorist attack—a statement unprecedented in its tone and timing, especially since the TRF (a Lashkar-e-Taiba offshoot) claimed responsibility.
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Afghanistan's Foreign Ministry stated it poses "no threat to any country", further suggesting a shift from Pakistan’s influence.
🔶 PM Modi's Green Light to Armed Forces
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In a bold message to Pakistan and the world, PM Narendra Modi granted "complete operational freedom" to the Indian military to determine the mode, timing, and targets of any retaliatory action.
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This came as Pakistan’s ministers—Attaullah Tarar and Khawaja Asif—claimed that India was planning an imminent attack, indicating heightened military readiness and panic in Islamabad.
🔶 Pakistan’s Strategic Depth in Crisis
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For decades, Pakistan nurtured the Taliban as a tool of "strategic depth" to control Afghanistan and counter India.
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That investment appears to be backfiring:
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Pakistan faces Taliban-linked insurgency (TTP) in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.
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Islamabad’s mass deportation of Afghan refugees and border clashes have eroded trust with Kabul.
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India stepping into this vacuum undermines Pakistan's traditional influence in Afghanistan.
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🔶 Global Diplomatic Offensive
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India has briefed 25 countries, including G20 and Gulf nations, about the Pahalgam attack, highlighting Pakistan’s continued role in sponsoring terrorism.
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Meanwhile, Pakistan is scrambling—shifting terrorists into hiding, beefing up air defenses, and seeking international cover, only to find itself isolated.
Strategic Implications:
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India is using a multi-pronged strategy—military readiness, global diplomacy, and regional realignment—to build pressure on Pakistan.
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The Taliban’s condemnation of an attack in Indian-administered Kashmir is both symbolic and strategic—a psychological blow to Pakistan’s decades-old narrative on Kashmir.
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Pakistan now finds itself cornered regionally and internationally, with its decades-long Afghanistan policy unraveling.
India’s Kabul outreach could be the opening move in a larger regional reset, realigning power balances in South Asia.
