UNITED NATIONS, Dec 11— India told the UN Security Council that global policy toward the Taliban must expand beyond punishment and isolation, arguing that engagement — calibrated and conditional — is essential for meaningful change in Afghanistan.
“If the focus is only on punitive measures, it will only ensure that a ‘business as usual’ approach continues,” Ambassador Parvathaneni Harish said during a Council meeting on Afghanistan. “India calls for a pragmatic engagement with the Taliban. A coherent policy of engagement should incentivise positive actions.”
Harish said India’s decision to elevate its technical mission in Kabul back to an embassy signals its intention to remain deeply engaged with the Afghan people. “This underscores our resolve,” he said, adding that India will continue supporting Afghanistan’s development, humanitarian and capacity-building priorities.
The remarks follow the October visit of Afghan Foreign Minister Amir Khan Muttaqi to New Delhi — the first by a senior Taliban member since 2021. External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar announced the embassy upgrade and reiterated India’s commitment to renew stalled development projects.
India had withdrawn its officials after the Taliban takeover, returning a technical team to Kabul in mid-2022.
Harish told the Council that the security situation remains fragile and urged unified international efforts to ensure UN-sanctioned terror groups and their affiliates — including LeT, JeM, ISIL and Al-Qaida — are prevented from conducting cross-border attacks. His comments were viewed as a thinly veiled reference to Pakistan.
India backed UNAMA’s concern over recent airstrikes in Afghanistan, condemning civilian deaths. Harish also criticised what he described as “trade and transit terrorism” — the denial of access routes to a landlocked and vulnerable country — calling it a breach of WTO rules and the UN Charter.
“Such acts of war against a fragile LLDC nation trying to rebuild constitute a blatant violation of international law,” he said. “While we condemn such acts, we strongly support Afghanistan’s sovereignty and independence.”
He noted that India has over 500 development projects across Afghanistan and plans to scale up cooperation in health, infrastructure and capacity-building. India will also continue working with UN agencies on food security, education, sports and humanitarian support.
Harish added that Afghan Industry Minister Alhaj Nooruddin Azizi’s recent visit to India helped advance discussions on trade, connectivity and market access.
