India is rapidly reshaping its strategic equation with Afghanistan through humanitarian outreach and economic engagement, at a moment when Pakistan’s relationship with Kabul has plunged to one of its lowest points in decades.
On Friday, a 73-tonne shipment of lifesaving medicines and vaccines reached Kabul, the third such consignment this year. The Ministry of External Affairs described the aid as support for Afghanistan’s urgent healthcare requirements. It followed a $100-million MoU between India’s Zydus Lifesciences and Afghanistan’s Rofi’s International Group, providing for pharmaceutical exports and later technology transfers to enable drug manufacturing within Afghanistan. Taliban Minister for Industry and Commerce Alhaj Nooruddin Azizi, who recently visited New Delhi, welcomed the deal and assured “full security guarantees” for Indian investment.
These developments signal a deepening India–Afghanistan partnership built on medical aid, trade, and industrial collaboration — a stark contrast to Pakistan’s growing hostility with the Taliban regime.
Just three days before the Indian shipment arrived, Pakistani warplanes carried out strikes in the provinces of Khost, Kunar, and Paktika. According to Taliban spokesperson Zabihullah Mujahid, one bomb destroyed a home in Khost and killed nine children and a woman, while additional strikes left four injured. Kabul denounced the attack as a violation of the ceasefire and warned that it would respond “in kind” if such actions continue. Pakistan has offered no public explanation, though it has been fighting escalating insurgent attacks inside its own territory and continues to blame the Afghan Taliban for sheltering the Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan.
The contrast is now sharply visible: India is earning goodwill through medicine, trade, and humanitarian support, while Pakistan’s relationship with Kabul has degenerated into airstrikes and mutual accusations. Afghan officials, analysts, and regional observers are increasingly noting that India is gaining influence on the ground in ways that Islamabad once sought — without troops, without coercion, and without destabilising Afghan territory.
