Why Pakistan Is ‘Not a Normal Country’: Crisis and Taliban FM Visit to India
Amb. Talmiz Ahmad on Pakistan’s power struggle and India’s smart Taliban diplomacy in a changing South Asian landscape.
In a compelling interview with senior journalist Barkha Dutt, former Indian diplomat Ambassador Talmiz Ahmad, who has served as India’s envoy to Saudi Arabia, Oman, and the UAE, shared sharp insights into Pakistan’s growing unrest and India’s evolving approach toward the Taliban.
The discussion opened with Pakistan’s ongoing crisis, as protests led by Tehreek-e-Labbaik Pakistan (TLP) turned violent amid tensions along the Durand Line and diplomatic maneuvers involving the Taliban’s Afghan Foreign Minister’s visit to India. Ambassador Ahmad described Pakistan as a “schizophrenic state,” divided between an elected civilian government and a powerful military establishment that shapes its foreign policy. He stressed that Pakistan’s army maintains long-standing ties with the CIA, Pentagon, and Saudi Arabia, and continues to pursue interests that often clash with public sentiment, especially over Palestine and relations with the U.S.
Turning to India’s outreach to the Taliban, Ambassador Ahmad called the move “strategic and long overdue,” noting that Afghanistan remains crucial to India’s national interests. He explained that while the Taliban lacks administrative experience and religious scholarship, engaging them diplomatically could eventually steer them toward moderation, especially through India’s cultural and educational influence.
Barkha Dutt concluded that while Pakistan’s internal contradictions persist, India’s pragmatic engagement with Afghanistan underlines a broader regional shift—where strategy outweighs ideology.