Fri Oct 31 15:38:35 UTC 2025: Summary:
This article, published in The Hindu on October 31, 2025, features an interview with Nilofar Sakhi, an expert on security and peace. Sakhi discusses the Taliban’s efforts to gain legitimacy and recognition, particularly through engagement with regional countries like India. She emphasizes the Taliban’s pursuit of economic resources and the strategic considerations involved. Sakhi argues that trusting the Taliban is a mistake due to their continued ties with transnational militant groups and their inherent nature as a militant organization. She also touches upon the strained relationship between the Taliban and Pakistan, the internal dynamics within Afghanistan, and the growing discontent among the Afghan people due to economic hardship and suppression of freedoms. Sakhi highlights the ideological motivations behind the Taliban’s discriminatory policies against women and denies the existence of a meaningful “moderate” faction within the group.
News Article:
India Engagement with Taliban Risky, Warns Expert
New Delhi, November 1, 2025 – As India navigates its relationship with the Taliban regime in Afghanistan, a leading expert warns that trusting the group would be a dangerous misstep. In an interview with The Hindu, Nilofar Sakhi, an associate research professor at the Elliott School of International Affairs, cautioned against viewing the Taliban as a reliable political partner.
Sakhi highlighted the Taliban’s primary objective of gaining international legitimacy and access to resources. She explained that the Taliban are reaching out to regional powers like India, Russia and China after failing to gain recognition from the West. While recognizing India’s past contributions to Afghanistan and acknowledging the potential for cooperation on existing investments, she emphasized the inherent risks involved in engaging with a group that maintains close ties to transnational militant organizations like al-Qaeda and the Tehrik-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP).
“Treating such a group as a political or strategic partner is a mistake,” Sakhi stated. “If India is doing that, that’s a mistake because that is going to backfire at some point.”
She also addressed the deteriorating relations between the Taliban and Pakistan, noting that Pakistan’s past support for the Taliban did not prevent a surge in TTP attacks within Pakistan following the Taliban’s takeover in Afghanistan.
Sakhi further pointed to growing discontent within Afghanistan due to economic hardship and human rights abuses, particularly the severe restrictions imposed on women. While acknowledging the lack of widespread open resistance, she predicted that continued suppression will eventually lead to public dissatisfaction and potential unrest. She attributed the Taliban’s discriminatory policies to their hardline ideology, dismissing claims that these policies reflect Afghan culture.
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