There is a legitimate concern that the Taliban rule will offer sanctuary for Kashmiri separatists to be trained. This underlines the need for India to engage with the Taliban and address serious human rights abuses in the Kashmir Valley and seek out a political resolution of the dispute over Jammu and Kashmir with Pakistan.
Pakistan’s support for the Taliban could backfire if the group seizes power.
In May, the United States is supposed to withdraw its remaining forces from Afghanistan in line with an agreement signed with the Taliban in Doha last year. But violence is escalating and the intra-Afghan talks mandated by the Doha accord have made little progress. If American troops leave, the Taliban might abandon the peace process and seize power by force.
This would arguably be “mission accomplished” for Pakistan, which has backed the militant group since its inception in the 1990s to establish strategic depth in Afghanistan and counter Indian influence there. The Afghan government maintains close ties to New Delhi and its ouster would likely harm India’s interests.