Delhi's Afghan Community Hopeful After India-Taliban Diplomatic Talks

In the bustling neighborhoods of Lajpat Nagar and Bhogal, where the fragrance of kabuli pulao fills the air and children play in narrow lanes, Delhi's Afghan community is experiencing a rare moment of cautious optimism. The recent meeting between External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar and Taliban Foreign Minister Amir Khan Muttaqi, which resulted in India's decision to upgrade its technical mission in Kabul to a full embassy, has sparked hope among thousands of Afghan residents who have made the Indian capital their second home.

For many members of this close-knit community, the diplomatic breakthrough represents more than just international relations. It signals the possibility of reuniting with families, reviving businesses, and restoring the connections that have been severed since the Taliban's return to power and the subsequent complications brought by the Covid pandemic.

Khwaja Zamiruddin, who runs a small Afghan restaurant in Bhogal, reflects on how drastically things have changed. The 35-year-old restaurateur recalls a time when students, traders, and families could move freely between Kabul and Delhi without the bureaucratic nightmares that have become commonplace. Since the Taliban takeover and the pandemic, obtaining an Indian visa has become extraordinarily difficult. He hopes the renewed diplomatic engagement will ease these restrictions and restore the natural flow of people between the two nations.

The relationship between India and Afghanistan has historically been symbiotic and mutually beneficial. Afghanistan has long served as a crucial market for Indian pharmaceuticals, tea, cement, and construction materials. In return, India has imported dry fruits, spices, and traditional goods that fill the shelves of south Delhi's vibrant Afghan markets. This economic interdependence created a foundation for cultural exchange and personal relationships that extended far beyond mere commerce.

Zamiruddin's personal experience illustrates the dramatic demographic shift within the community. When he arrived in Delhi in 2015, his neighborhood was home to nearly 5,000 Afghan residents. Today, that number has dwindled to barely a thousand. The visa services, which only resumed in April this year, have approved very few applications, mostly limited to health or business purposes. Families have been forced to leave because they could not renew their stay permits, creating a diaspora within a diaspora.

A few streets away, Khamal S operates a departmental store stocked with both Indian and Afghan products. His shelves display mazhari e jaru, traditional Afghan brooms, alongside candies and dry fruits that represent the remnants of what was once a thriving trade network. Before the pandemic, cargo arrived regularly from Kabul, keeping businesses supplied and maintaining crucial economic ties. However, after the Taliban takeover, trade slowed dramatically and uncertainty became the only constant.

For Khamal and countless others, India has evolved from a place of refuge into something far more meaningful. It has become home, a place where they have built livelihoods and established communities. Yet the dream of maintaining connections with their homeland remains central to their identity and economic survival.

Mohsin and Farida, who run a small mobile repair shop in Bhogal, speak fondly of family members still living in Herat. The couple laments how restrictions have made it nearly impossible to bring elderly parents to India for medical treatment, something that was once routine. They also highlight how these strained relations have affected the export of medicines from India, which historically formed the backbone of Afghanistan's healthcare supply chain. When diplomatic relations suffer, they explain, it is ordinary people back home who bear the consequences.

The economic impact extends beyond individual families. Afghan dry fruit wholesalers in Khari Baoli, one of Asia's largest spice markets, have been particularly hard hit. Their entire business model depends on the festive season when demand for Afghan dry fruits peaks. The disruption in trade has created ripples throughout the supply chain, affecting both Indian and Afghan merchants.

Not everyone in the community shares the same level of optimism about diplomatic developments. Near the popular Mazaar Restaurant in Lajpat Nagar, one man who left Afghanistan three years ago with his family expresses a more resigned perspective. Having found kindness in Delhi, he admits he barely cares about high level political discussions, especially since returning home no longer seems like a realistic option.

Despite varying degrees of hope and skepticism, the Afghan community in Delhi continues to hold onto the possibility that improving ties between New Delhi and Kabul will reopen trade routes and rebuild the sense of belonging they have carefully nurtured. For them, this is not just about diplomatic protocols or embassy upgrades. It is about family reunions, business opportunities, and the fundamental human need to maintain connections with one's roots while building a future in adopted soil.

As Friday's diplomatic engagement reverberates through these south Delhi neighborhoods, the Afghan community waits to see whether words will translate into tangible changes that affect their daily lives and their ability to bridge the distance between their past and present homes.