India Seeks Industrial Cooperation with Taliban Administration
In an official meeting in New Delhi, several officials from the Taliban administration, led by Shafi Azam, head of economic relations at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, along with Arif, director of Industrial Parks, met with officials from India’s Ministry of Textiles. The discussion aimed to explore ways to strengthen economic and industrial cooperation between Afghanistan and India.
During the session, both sides seriously discussed potential collaboration in cotton production and processing, human resource development, industry standardization, and the modernization of Afghanistan’s textile and garment sectors. Indian officials formally invited representatives of the Taliban administration to participate in the international “Bharat Tex” exhibition and showcase local Afghan products at the event.
The two parties also emphasized the importance of technology exchange, launching vocational training programs, providing technical assistance to improve the quality of Afghan cotton, and studying the implementation of future joint manufacturing projects. However, no formal operational agreements have yet been signed.
At the conclusion of the meeting, Indian officials and Taliban representatives generally agreed to establish a technical committee to follow up on these discussions. The committee will be tasked with conducting further talks on the details of cooperation in the cotton and textile sectors and drafting joint operational plans.
The meeting comes as the Taliban administration, lacking international recognition, seeks to garner economic support from regional countries. Nonetheless, concerns persist over the potential use of economic cooperation as a means to gain political legitimacy.
