India Builds Soft Power In Afghanistan, Bypassing Pakistan

India is strengthening its soft power in Afghanistan as a provider of crucial aid, going through Iran and sidelining a once indispensable Pakistan.

An Indian donation of 20,000 metric tonnes of wheat is expected to arrive in Afghanistan in the next couple of months, a representative of the United Nations World Food Programme recently told Nikkei Asia. This would make good on an announcement in March when New Delhi committed to sending the wheat through Iran’s Chabahar port. Ultimately, the supplies are to cross the Iranian border into Afghanistan’s Herat province.

Hunger in Afghanistan remains widespread, with the WFP estimating that more than 19 million people suffer from acute food insecurity when a lack of adequate food puts lives or livelihoods in immediate danger. A recent Taliban-imposed ban on female U.N. staff in Afghanistan caused an uproar in the international community and raised additional fears for the country’s future, even prompting hints at a U.N. pullout. But the WFP representative clarified the organization is committed to delivering aid where hunger threatens the lives of millions.

“The humanitarian needs across the country remain very high,” the representative said, “and [India’s] contribution will help us reach hungry families where needs are highest.”

The move not only reinforces India’s position as a key provider of essential aid to Afghanistan but also highlights New Delhi’s efforts to craft positive relations, even though it does not formally recognize the Taliban regime that seized power in August 2021. India reestablished its diplomatic presence in mid-2022 by deploying a “technical team” in the Afghan capital. Experts say the region is simply too important to leave.

In addition, the latest food aid marks a geopolitically significant change in the way India supplies assistance.

In response to the crisis in Afghanistan, India initially suggested trucking 50,000 tonnes of wheat through archrival Pakistan. Following extensive deliberations and prodding from the Afghan Taliban, Pakistan granted approval in November 2021. Consequently, the first shipment of Indian wheat was transported via the Pakistani transit route in February 2022.

However, despite India’s request, Pakistan did not grant an extension to the stipulated period, limiting the shipments to 40,000 tonnes.

Using the port at Chabahar offers substantial advantages over sending wheat through Pakistan, skirting the tense relationship between the nuclear-armed neighbors and allowing India to help Afghans more effectively.