The Indian Express ·
How India’s approach to the Taliban represents a form of principled pragmatism
India’s engagement with Afghanistan has remained non-interventionist, humanitarian, and development-centric. While navigating the space between “cautious engagement” and diplomatic non-recognition, how does Delhi’s approach to the Taliban represent a form of principled pragmatism?
India reiterated its deep concern at the humanitarian plight of the Afghan returnees, reaffirming that returns must be voluntary, safe and dignified, and reintegration should receive sustained international support.
Speaking at a meeting of the United Nations Security Council (UNSC), India’s Permanent Representative, Harish Parvathaneni, cited the Secretary General’s Report on Afghanistan, which mentions that 2.9 million Afghans were returned in 2025, and, until 22 August 2026, another 1.15 million Afghans were returned, most of which were involuntary, PTI reported.
“A forcible return of this nature that is neither safe nor dignified, of over three million individuals, in any other part of the world would have elicited a political outcry in this Council, urgent provision of large-scale humanitarian support and efforts to ensure better re-integration and assimilation. That there is no such reaction is a sad reflection on the times,” he added.
