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Sareen said India should also reconsider its refusal to formally recognise the Taliban government, which came to power in 2021. “So that they can also hit back. Because other countries have not changed their position, he questioned why New Delhi should continue to hold back from formal recognition simply.
Speaking on Faultline with Ananya Dasgupta on Times Axis, Sareen said India should not allow international consensus to dictate its Afghanistan policy. “If the Afghan Taliban are going to be bullied by the Pakistanis… then maybe we should help them militarily,” Sareen said. “If you can give them some anti-drone systems to the Afghans, if you can give them maybe some drone technology, which will help them fight back, maybe give them some missile systems or, you know, long-range rocket systems,” Sareen said. “Recognition does not mean endorsement,” he said, pointing out that countries maintain diplomatic relations with governments whose actions they do not necessarily agree with. The Taliban are the de facto rulers of Afghanistan and India already has a degree of engagement with them, according to Sareen. Sareen said New Delhi should make its own assessment of what serves Indian interests, rather than remain constrained by concerns about how other countries might react.
India should consider formally recognising the Taliban government in Afghanistan and providing it with military assistance to counter Pakistan, strategic affairs analyst Sushant Sareen has argued, calling for a rethink of New Delhi’s approach to its western neighbourhood. He argued that if Pakistan was using military force to pressure the Taliban, India should consider helping the Afghan regime defend itself. He argued that recognition need not mean approval of the regime’s ideology or policies.