The ISI–Taliban Nexus: A Structural Challenge for India’s Security
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.53032/tvcr/2025.v7n3.31Keywords:
ISI-Taliban Nexus, Structural Challenge, Strategic Depth Doctrine, India’s National Security, Cross-border TerrorismAbstract
The nexus between Pakistan’s Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) and the Taliban has been a defining feature of Afghanistan’s political and security landscape for over three decades. Initially cultivated during the Taliban’s rise in the 1990s, this relationship provided Pakistan with strategic leverage in Afghanistan while simultaneously constraining India’s role in the region. For India, the ISI–Taliban connection translated into heightened security risks, ranging from cross-border terrorism to diplomatic isolation. Although the Taliban’s second regime since 2021 has attempted to signal greater autonomy and cautiously engage with New Delhi, the structural imprint of Pakistan’s influence remains evident through entrenched militant networks, ideological alignments, and Pakistan’s enduring reliance on proxy actors. This paper examines the historical roots, operational dimensions, and evolving dynamics of the ISI–Taliban nexus, and argues that despite changing political contexts, it continues to pose a long-term structural challenge for India’s national security.
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