India-Pak-Afghanistan: The Emerging Triangle
History often arrives at a juncture where geopolitical equations spin entirely on their own axis, and South Asia is currently witnessing precisely such a decisive and ironic moment. The month of November 2025 has emerged as a classic example of paradox in international diplomacy. On one hand, the 2,600-kilometer-long Durand Line between Pakistan and Afghanistan is diplomacy. The reception of Azizi by Joint Secretary Anand Prakash of the Ministry of External Affairs and giving him prominence at the echoing with the smoke of gunpowder, air strikes, and the screams of innocent children. On the other, in the quiet and secure corridors of New Delhi, the Taliban administration’s Minister of Industry and Commerce, Alhaj Nooruddin Azizi, was being India International Trade Fair (IITF) signals India's altered Afghan policy. By upgrading its mission in Kabul to full embassy status in October 2025, India has made it clear that looking beyond the nature of the regime there, it will remain engaged with the Afghan people and its own strategic interests.
The axis of this new relationship is 'Connectivity,' which bypasses Pakistan. The primary objective of Azizi’s visit was to strengthen alternative routes that can end Afghanistan’s dependence warmly welcomed. This was not merely a visit; it was a bitter reality check for the Generals in Rawalpindi, who in 2021 had declared the Taliban’s takeover of Kabul as a strategic victory. Today, that same Kabul is looking on Pakistan. India and Afghanistan are now moving towards launching air trade at full capacity through two dedicated cargo flight routes. Direct flights from Kabul not towards Islamabad, but towards New Delhi to restore its economic and strategic breath.
For Pakistan, this situation is nothing to Delhi and Amritsar are not just trade routes; they are an 'air bridge' that breaks Pakistan’s geographical blockade. short of a nightmare. When US forces were departing Afghanistan in 2021, then-Pakistani Prime Minister Imran Dry fruits, asafoetida, carpets, and gemstones, which earlier fell victim to Pakistan’s whims at the Wagah border Khan had described it as a moment of "breaking the shackles of slavery." The Pakistani establishment believed they had finally secured "Strategic Depth" on their western border and that Afghanistan, freed from Indian influence, would become a satellite state of Pakistan. However, are now reaching Indian markets directly. Simultaneously, the strategic importance of the Chabahar port has returned to the center stage., four years later, the picture is completely reversed. Today, Pakistan is grappling with the most severe existential crisis in its history on Although US sanctions pose challenges to trade via Iran, both Kabul and New Delhi are committed to keeping this 'multimodal corridor' active that very western border. Attacks by the Tehrik-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP)—whom Islamabad terms *. This is a major economic blow to Pakistan, as the Afghan leadership has clearly directed its traders to reduce the use of Pakistani routes and focus on alternatives in India and Central Asia.
On the other hand, the tension between Pakistan and Afghanistan has transformed'Fitna al-Khawarij'*—are spilling the blood of Pakistani security forces. Suicide attacks in Peshawar, Islamabad, and South Waziristan are proof that the snake Pakistan nurtured in its sleeve is now biting the hand that fed it into a 'Hot War.' The death of women and children in airstrikes conducted by the Pakistani Air Force in Khost and Kunar provinces has pushed anti-Pakistan sentiment in the Afghan psyche to its peak. The Taliban, once considered an.
Amidst this bloody conflict, Afghanistan’s pivot towards India is not a routine diplomatic development, but a profound ally of Pakistan, is now accusing Pakistan of violating its sovereignty. The statement by Taliban spokesperson Zabihullah Mujahid that "Pak strategic shift. When Minister Azizi arrived in New Delhi on November 19 for a five-day visit, theistani invading forces targeted civilians" seems to eliminate any possibility of bridging the chasm between the two nations. Ceasefire message was clear: Kabul is tired of Pakistan’s 'blackmail.' Pakistan's strategy of repeated border closures, leaving efforts mediated by Qatar and Turkey in Doha and Istanbul have failed because the fundamental issue remains unresolved. Pakistan wants the Taliban to act Afghan traders’ fruits and vegetables to rot in trucks, and exerting political pressure has forced the Afghan leadership to seek alternatives. And against the TTP, while the Taliban maintains that the TTP is Pakistan's internal problem and that it will not raise that alternative has emerged in the form of India. India, too, shedding its past hesitations, has displayed realistic diplomacy. The reception arms against its own Pashtun brethren. This deadlock has become a structural fault line that now seems impossible to bridge.
In this of Azizi by Joint Secretary Anand Prakash and his prominence at the India International Trade Fair (IITF) signals a shifted scenario, India's role is that of a 'stabilizer' and a reliable partner. The 'Soft Power' Afghan policy. By upgrading its mission in Kabul to full embassy status in October 2025, India has made it clear that India earned by sending 50,000 metric tonnes of wheat, medicines, and humanitarian aid to the Afghan people since 2021 is now converting into strategic gain. The Afghan minister inviting Indian traders to invest in mining, hydropower, and it will look beyond the nature of the regime to engage with the Afghan people and secure its own strategic interests.
The pivot agriculture, and proposing tax exemptions, indicates that the Taliban administration has realized that while power can be seized with guns, running of this new relationship is 'Connectivity,' which bypasses Pakistan. The primary objective of Azizi’s visit was to fortify alternative routes that can end Afghanistan’s dependence on Pakistan. India and Afghanistan are now moving towards launching air trade at full a country requires an economy—and that economy is drowning by attaching itself to Pakistan, while it can float by aligning with India.
capacity through two dedicated cargo flight routes. Direct flights from Kabul to Delhi and Amritsar are not just trade routes; they are an 'Air Bridge' breaking Pakistan’s geographical blockade. Dry fruits, asafoetida (hing), carpets, and gemstones—From a diplomatic perspective, India has astutely shifted its policy from 'Wait and Watch' to 'Active Engagement.' India has established functional relations with the Taliban without granting them formal recognition. This is imperative for India's security. A combination of a hostile Pakistan and an unstable Afghanistan could have been dangerous for India. However, the hostility between Pakistan and Afghanistan has provided India an opportunity to revive its influence in Kabul and ensure that Afghan soil is not used for anti-India activities (especially in Kashmir). Pakistan's accusation that India is supporting the TTP and Baloch insurgents is merely a reflection of its own frustration and failurewhich once fell victim to Pakistan’s arbitrariness at the Wagah border—are now reaching Indian markets directly. Simultaneously, the strategic importance of the Chabahar port has returned to the center stage. Although US sanctions pose challenges to trade via Iran, both Kabul and New Delhi are committed to keeping this 'multimodal corridor' active. This is a massive economic blow to. The truth is that Pakistan is trapped in the web of its own policies. The distinction it drew between 'Good Taliban' and 'Bad Taliban' has now been erased.
Looking towards the future, this region is heading towards a major Pakistan, as the Afghan leadership has explicitly directed its traders to reduce the use of Pakistani routes and focus on Indian and Central Asian alternatives.
On the other hand, tension between Pakistan and Afghanistan has transformed into a 'Hot War.' The deaths of women and geopolitical realignment. If the India-Afghanistan air corridor and the Chabahar route succeed, Pakistan will become irrelevant on the trade children in air strikes conducted by the Pakistani Air Force in Khost and Kunar provinces have pushed anti-Pakistan sentiment in map of South Asia. If Afghanistan, often called the 'Heart of Asia,' leans towards India and Central Asia instead of Pakistan the Afghan psyche to its peak. The Taliban, once considered an ally of Pakistan, is now accusing Islamabad of violating its sovereignty, it will mark the end of Pakistan’s dream of becoming a 'Connectivity Hub.' During Azizi’s visit. Taliban spokesperson Zabihullah Mujahid’s statement that "Pakistani invading forces targeted civilians" seems to eliminate any possibility of bridging the chasm between the two nations. Ceasefire attempts mediated by Qatar and Turkey in Doha and Istanbul have to India, the discussion regarding the return of Afghan Sikhs and Hindus and assurances of their safety also aligns with India’s cultural and humanitarian interests.
In conclusion, the warmth of the Afghan delegation in Delhi and the fire burning along the Durand Line bear witness to the fact failed because the fundamental issue remains unresolved. Pakistan wants the Taliban to act against the TTP, while the Taliban maintains that the TTP that a new chapter of the 'Great Game' is being written. Pakistan attempted to make Afghanistan its strategic depth, but is Pakistan’s internal problem and refuses to raise arms against their own Pashtun brethren. This deadlock has become a structural today Afghanistan has become a strategic quagmire for Pakistan. Meanwhile, India, which had withdrawn its diplomats from Kabul in fault line that now appears impossible to bridge.
In this scenario, India’s role is that of a 'Stabil2021, has emerged today, without firing a single bullet, as the most significant economic partner in the court ofizer' and a trusted partner. The 'Soft Power' India earned by sending 50,000 metric tonnes Kabul. This is a patient and visionary victory of Indian diplomacy. In the coming days, as Pakistan grapples with its internal violence of wheat, medicines, and humanitarian aid to the Afghan people since 2021 is now converting into strategic gain and economic bankruptcy, the relationship between New Delhi and Kabul will emerge as a new pole of security and stability in South Asia. It is clear that when Kabul seeks hope, it no longer looks towards the General Headquarters in Rawalpindi, but. The Afghan Minister’s invitation to Indian businessmen to invest in mining, hydropower, and agriculture, along with offers of tax exemptions, towards the Raisina Hills of New Delhi.