Opinion | India-Afghanistan Cargo Flights: Quiet Realignment Reshaping South Asia’s Strategic Map |
India and Afghanistan’s decision to launch direct air cargo flights is far more than a logistical upgrade; it is a geopolitical signal. A new axis is taking shape in South Asia, and it does not revolve around Pakistan anymore. By enabling direct trade, New Delhi and Kabul are quietly realigning regional power dynamics, reflecting both countries’ deepening estrangement from Islamabad and their desire to chart independent economic futures.
The announcement by India’s Ministry of External Affairs, made after Afghan Commerce Minister Alhaj Nooruddin Azizi’s week-long visit to Delhi, marks the most significant India-Afghanistan economic engagement since the Taliban takeover in 2021. The flights will allow Afghanistan to transport fresh fruits, medicinal herbs, and other perishables quickly, bypassing the chronic delays caused by Pakistani transit routes. For Kabul, this is not just economic diversification; it is liberation from Pakistan’s decades-long chokehold on Afghan trade.
Pakistan’s recent decision to seal its border with Afghanistan after deadly military clashes only accelerated Kabul’s push to find alternatives. Islamabad has repeatedly used border closures as a strategic lever, weaponising geography to maintain political pressure. Afghanistan’s response this time has been striking: rather than bend, it has turned sharply toward India. The request to set up cargo hubs on Afghan soil and the agreement to station commercial representatives in each other’s embassies highlight a rapidly expanding partnership that Islamabad can neither control nor ignore.
The geopolitical subtext is unmistakable. As Kabul and New Delhi strengthen ties, Pakistan sees its traditional sphere of influence slipping........