A former top Afghan security official has said India is providing support to the Taliban government in Afghanistan as a way to pressure Pakistan through militant groups.
Masoud Andarabi, who previously served as Afghanistan’s interior minister and acting director of the National Directorate of Security, made the comments in an interview published by The Diplomat.
The interview, conducted by Tushar Shetty for the outlet’s Beyond the Indus series, examined regional dynamics involving Russia, China, Pakistan, and India following the Taliban’s return to power.
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Indian Support
According to The Diplomat, Andarabi stated that India is backing the Taliban with the goal of gaining influence over the Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan, also referred to in Pakistani statements as Fitna al-Khawarij. He said this effort intensified after what Pakistan calls Marka-e-Haq, the 2025 military confrontation between India and Pakistan.
According to former Afghan spy, India’s engagement is primarily an intelligence relationship rather than formal government-to-government agreements.
Andrabi claimed Indian intelligence services have cultivated ties with certain Taliban factions and local elders, particularly in border provinces. He specifically referenced influence involving figures associated with the Yaqub and Muttaqi groups.
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Evidence of Indian-sponsored terrorism against Pakistan operating from Afghan soil has once again come to light.
Former Afghan intelligence chief Masoud Andarabi has exposed the… https://t.co/p1gS28N8Gp pic.twitter.com/YQ5PZ73Vtj
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“I would bluntly say this: that India is supporting the Taliban so that through them they will be able to influence the TTP and fight against the Pakistanis,” Andarabi said in the interview.
He added that the Taliban’s provision of territorial space has allowed India to operate against Pakistan from Afghan soil, which he identified as a central reason for deteriorating relations between the Taliban and Pakistan.
Pakistan’s Cross-Border Actions
According to The Cyber Brief, Andarabi linked Pakistan’s airstrikes and operations against militant safe havens inside Afghanistan directly to these dynamics.
He described the strikes as a signal to India that using Afghan territory or groups against Pakistan would draw a strong response.
“The main reason that the Taliban’s relationship with Pakistan has deteriorated is not through the Taliban supporting the TTP, no. It’s that the Taliban are providing territorial space and allowing India to be able to openly use Afghanistan against Pakistan,” he said.
“That is the core reason that the Pakistanis are aggressively bombing Afghanistan.”
He claimed that while Pakistan still retains some influence over the Taliban, it no longer exercises the level of control it once held during the group’s insurgency years.
Differences among Taliban factions, including the Haqqani network and Kandahar-based elements, further complicate the picture, according to Andarabi.
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Official Pakistani Reaction
Pakistan’s military has publicly tied the two countries’ relations to terrorism concerns. Director General of Inter-Services Public Relations Lt. Gen. Ahmed Sharif Chaudhry stated in a recent press conference: “Apart from DNA, the only thing India and Afghanistan have in common is terrorism, and their diplomacy is also based on this principle.”
Pakistani state media, including Radio Pakistan, reported Andarabi’s comments on July 31, 2026, framing them as evidence that the Taliban regime is receiving financial support from India while sheltering groups that target Pakistan.
The reports described Pakistan’s cross-border operations as a response to the presence of these groups on Afghan soil.
Broader Context From the Interview
In the same conversation, Andarabi discussed Russia’s formal recognition of the Taliban in 2025 and growing military-technical ties, as well as China’s investments in mining, telecommunications, and surveillance infrastructure without formal recognition.
He portrayed Afghanistan as a site of competition among regional powers, with India seeking to expand its position after the 2025 conflict with Pakistan.
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Andarabi’s remarks come from his experience in the pre-2021 Afghan government, where he oversaw counterterrorism and intelligence operations.
The views expressed in the interview are presented as his “personal assessment.” Independent verification of specific funding channels or operational details was not provided in the published transcript.
Indian Position
India, which drew sharp domestic and international denunciation from human rights activists for lavish reception of the Afghan Taliban –long condemned for their repression of Afghan women — has defended ties with the de fact rulers of Kabul.
New Delhi officially denies any collusion with the Taliban against Pakistan, although the BJP allies of Prime Minister Narendra Modi often threaten to inflict pain on Pakistan.
Several Indian officials have been on record to threaten Pakistan in the border regions and Balochistan for what they call Islamabad’s alleged anti-India policies including alleged support for militants accused of operating against India.
Kiran Asim is a writer who covers the U.S., Europe, South Asia, and the Middle East. Her reports and analyses look at the geostrategic issues and contemporary developments and their economic and political implications. She also writes about society and education.
