The U.S.-Taliban peace deal was  signed in Doha on February 29,2020 and the Inter-Afghan negotiations are under process.

INDIA AND AFGHANISTAN

India has contributed to the economic reconstruction of war-ravaged Afghanistan, adopting a ‘soft power approach’ since 2001. India, re-establishing cultural and historical links between the two countries; provided development aid and assistance for economic, social, civilian, political, and administrative capacity building; construction of a 218-kilometre highway from Zaranj to Delaram to facilitate the movement of goods and services to the Iranian port of Chabahar; a dam on the Hari Rud River; a 220kV DC transmission line from Pul-e-Khumri to Kabul; the Afghan India Friendship Dam also known as the Salma Dam ;the new Afghan Parliament building, which was being built by India; upgrading of telephone exchanges in 11 provinces; the expansion of the national television network by providing an uplink from Kabul and downlinks in all 34 provincial capitals for greater integration through communication systems.

India is  Afghanistan’s fifth largest bilateral donor country, having pledged more than US$2 billion and invested in diverse areas including healthcare, education, infrastructure, social welfare, and in the training of politicians, diplomats, and police

  Afghan security forces with critical operational training, limited military equipment, and capacity-building courses—assistance that was ramped up after the signing of the India-Afghanistan Strategic Partnership Agreement in October 2011. The agreement, in addition to emphasizing cooperation in the areas of security, law enforcement, and justice, also included a joint commitment to combating international terrorist and criminal networks in the region.  

India has been one of the oldest and strongest proponents of democratic governance in Kabul. From the 2001 Bonn conference, which facilitated the formation of an interim government to take over from the Taliban, to the present day, India has maintained a broad-based approach in engaging with successive Afghan governments.

India is also trying to create stability in Afghanistan to fulfil its own energy needs and trade interests in Central Asia in the long-term; unstable Afghanistan yet again turning into a springboard for destabilisation and terrorism, with a direct impact on India’s security.

Establishing diplomatic contacts with a politically empowered Taliban will be crucial to safeguarding New Delhi’s existing and future economic interests in the country, including those linked with Central Asian energy markets and broader connectivity projects; an amicable relationship with the Taliban will provide India with some leverage over Afghanistan’s future, which it will use to offset Pakistan’s efforts aimed at sabotaging Indian stakes in the country.