It might create a conflict.
Moscow: Russia has formed a new Quad like the US. It has been named the Afghanistan Quad. Its aim is to work with the powerful countries of the region on the future of Afghanistan. Now Russia wants India to join this Afghanistan Quad. However, there are fears that India may reject this proposal. The Afghanistan Quad is an alliance that includes Iran as well as Pakistan and China. In such a situation, if India joins this coalition, then it will have to sit with its two enemies, which will create a conflict with the strategic interests of the country.
Russian Foreign Minister invites India
Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov earlier this month expressed the hope that India would join the group, the South China Morning Post reported. He described this Quad as “the right move in Afghanistan.” He also urged India and Pakistan to address each other’s concerns. However, according to Kabir Taneja, a fellow and deputy director of the Observer Research Foundation’s Strategic Studies Program in New Delhi, Pakistan’s involvement is a “wake-up call” for India.
Afghan Quad conference held at UN
The “Afghan Quad” was held recently in September on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly, which held its third meeting to discuss Afghanistan. Yet tensions within the region have complicated matters. The Taliban’s relations with Pakistan have deteriorated since the occupation of Afghanistan in 2021. Pakistan was once the closest ally of the Taliban, but today the two do not want to see each other. There have been several clashes on the border between Pakistan and the Taliban recently.
Tensions in Taliban-Pakistan relations
Earlier this month, the Taliban targeted multiple locations in Pakistan in response to earlier Pakistani airstrikes. Islamabad Defence Minister Khawaja Asif last year vowed to continue his military operations against militant groups operating from Afghan soil. Taneja told ‘This Week in Asia’ that India has worked closely with Russia on Afghanistan as the West no longer considers dealing with Kabul and the Taliban a priority.
Distance between America and Taliban also increased
“America’s chaotic exit in 2021 has significantly widened the distance between Washington and Kabul, and regional countries and powers must fill this gap,” he said, referring to the departure of US forces after two decades of stationing in Afghanistan. The US invaded Afghanistan in 2001 to eliminate the terrorist organization al-Qaeda after the Taliban refused to hand over their leader Osama bin Laden.
Afghanistan’s stability in India’s interest
Since the US withdrawal, the continued presence of extremist groups such as the Islamic State-Khorasan and al-Qaeda has raised security concerns for the countries surrounding Afghanistan, which are a threat to both regional and global security. However, experts believe that the stability of Afghanistan is a common regional interest for Russia and India. Deteriorating relations between Islamabad and Kabul may prompt India to respond more positively to Moscow’s diplomatic efforts, but the presence of China and Pakistan will be “too low for New Delhi’s strategic calculations”.
India is improving relations with the Taliban
Russia’s invitation comes just days after Indian Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri met Taliban Foreign Minister Mawlawi Amir Khan Mutaki in the UAE, reflecting the “gradual deterioration in diplomatic exchanges”. India’s diplomatic outreach to Afghanistan’s Taliban government comes more than three years after the fall of Kabul.
India wants to regain lost ground in Afghanistan
Over the years, India had invested heavily in Afghanistan, financing infrastructure projects, training the military, and providing scholarships. However, the Taliban’s return in 2021 reversed those efforts, clearing the way for rivals such as Pakistan and China to increase their influence. During Delhi’s talks with the Taliban, the two sides reportedly focused on expanding trade and taking advantage of Iran’s Chabahar port, which India is developing to bypass Pakistan’s China-backed Karachi and Gwadar ports.
