Welcome to The Political Fix by Rohan Venkataramakrishnan, a newsletter on Indian politics and policy. To get it in your inbox every week,...
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The Big Story: Af-Pak is back
No words can sugarcoat the bitter taste for India that comes with Kabul, and most Afghanistan, reverting to Taliban control after two decades of American military intervention.
Afghanistan shares only a notional border with India – on paper, the countries have a 106-kilometer boundary, though that lies in Pakistan-occupied territory. But what happens in South Asia has major ramifications for Indian interests and ambitions in the region. Still, there may be a rather perverse silver lining for the Bharatiya Janata Party.
Here’s what the Taliban takeover means for New Delhi.
Immediate concerns
The Indian ambassador along with most of the embassy staff was evacuated from Afghanistan a week ago, given the rapidly deteriorating security situation in the country. But the job for the Indian team did not end then, given the number of citizens still in the country, as well as Afghans who New Delhi is choosing to help evacuate.
On Sunday alone, according to the Hindustan Times, India evacuated...
