Want to create an interactive transcript for this episode?
Podcast: In Focus by The Hindu
Episode: What's driving India's renewed engagement with the Afghan Taliban regime?
Description: In a significant diplomatic development, a Taliban delegation led by Afghanistan’s Foreign Minister recently visited New Delhi for official talks, the first such high-level engagement since the group took power in Kabul in 2021.
Following the talks, India announced plans to reopen its full-fledged embassy in Kabul and expand cooperation in health, infrastructure, and education.
But the visit also drew criticism after female journalists were reportedly barred from attending the Taliban minister’s press briefing, a reminder of the regime’s continuing restrictions on women and the media, and a point of discomfort for India’s democr...