daily editorial analysis for 3 November 2025

Engage the Taliban, Don’t Recognise Them 

Context

• The return of the Taliban to power in Afghanistan in 2021 reshaped the strategic landscape of South Asia, reviving old rivalries and forcing neighbouring states to recalibrate foreign policy choices.
• For India, historically opposed to Taliban rule and supportive of anti-Taliban forces, the new geopolitical reality demands a delicate balance between national security concerns, regional competition with Pakistan, and the preservation of long-term interests in Afghanistan.
• Amid these developments, it is important to highlight India’s emerging strategy of conditional and cautious engagement, rooted in pragmatic assessment rather than ideological alignment.

Strategic Calculus and India’s Core Interests

• India’s Afghanistan policy is shaped by three long-standing objectives.
  • First, New Delhi seeks to protect its substantial investments and goodwill accumulated between 2001 and 2021, when India was one of Afghanistan’s largest regional donors.
  • Second, it aims to prevent Afghan territory from becoming a sanctuary for anti-India militant networks, a scenario that resembles the Taliban’s first regime.
  • Third, preventing Afghanistan from serving as a strategic extension of Pakistan’s security establishment remains a priority, given India–Pakistan rivalry and Islamabad's historical influence over the Taliban.
• These intertwined interests help explain India’s measured outreach to the Taliban government, including the recent upgrade of its mission in Kabul and diplomatic engagement with Taliban officials.
• India is exploring whether the Taliban possess a degree of autonomy from Pakistan, particularly in light of deteriorating Pakistan-Taliban relations and cross-border tensions.
• In this shifting geopolitical context, New Delhi’s policy reflects realpolitik tempered by caution.

The Temptation and Risks of Recognition

• Although growing diplomatic contact may suggest that formal recognition of the Taliban is on the table, there are profound risks associated with such a step.
• Recognition could accelerate cooperation with Kabul, counterbalance Pakistan’s influence, and capitalise on emerging rifts between Islamabad and the Taliban.
• Yet it would also grant legitimacy to a regime whose governance remains deeply repressive and exclusionary.
• The Taliban’s unchanged ideological foundations raise questions about the durability of their rule and the ethics of normalisation.
• Their unprecedented restrictions on women’s education, public participation, and employment create severe socio-economic consequences and undermine Afghanistan’s long-term stability.
• With an economy contracted by one-third and nearly half the population in need of humanitarian assistance, the regime’s internal fragility remains a serious concern.
• Thus, immediate recognition may be strategically shortsighted, risking India’s leverage and implicating it in the Taliban’s governance failures.

Security Concerns and Terrorist Networks

• The Taliban’s claim of breaking ties with transnational jihadist networks remains
• Despite public pledges of non-interference, credible international assessments indicate continued linkages with groups such as al-Qaeda, Lashkar-e-Taiba, Jaish-e-Mohammed, and the Pakistani Taliban.
• While the Taliban currently suppress overt militant activity to maintain international legitimacy, these networks remain embedded within the Afghan security landscape.
• A weakening Taliban regime could unleash these groups, making today's tactical enemy's enemy tomorrow’s direct threat.
• For India, this underscores the necessity of vigilance and strategic patience rather than premature endorsement.

The Way Forward: Toward a Balanced and Long-Term Approach

• India’s policy trajectory suggests neither wholesale acceptance nor isolation of the Taliban regime.
• Instead, it pursues a gradual, conditional engagement, maintaining diplomatic channels to influence Taliban behaviour, safeguard security interests, and support Afghan civilians, while retaining leverage through international and regional forums.
• Crucially, India recognizes that sustainable stability in Afghanistan cannot be achieved solely through coercive religious rule but requires economic recovery, political inclusion, and regional integration.
• In this view, Afghanistan’s need for assistance exceeds India’s need for Taliban cooperation.
• Rather than yielding to short-term geopolitical temptation, New Delhi seeks to shape a future where Afghanistan remains neither a security threat nor a satellite in Pakistan's strategic orbit.

Conclusion

• While pragmatic engagement is necessary given geopolitical realities, India must avoid legitimising a regime that remains ideologically inflexible and structurally unstable.
• The recommended approach, engage, but do not endorse; influence, but do not yield leverage, aligns with India's long-term interests, regional stability, and commitment to the Afghan people’s rights and aspirations.
• In a region defined by shifting alliances and unresolved conflicts, restraint paired with strategic foresight may be India’s most effective tool.

Engage the Taliban, Don’t Recognise Them FAQs

 Q1. Why is India engaging with the Taliban despite past hostility?
Ans. India is engaging with the Taliban to protect its investments, prevent anti-India militants from using Afghan soil, and counter Pakistan’s influence.

Q2. What main risk does India face if it recognises the Taliban?
Ans. If India recognises the Taliban, it may grant legitimacy to a repressive regime and lose leverage to push for reforms.

Q3. How has the Taliban’s rule affected Afghanistan’s economy?
Ans. The Taliban’s rule has led to a major economic collapse, leaving almost half the population in need of humanitarian aid.

Q4. Why does India not fully trust the Taliban’s security promises?
Ans. India does not fully trust the Taliban’s promises because credible reports show continued links between the Taliban and global terrorist groups.

Q5. What long-term approach is India advised to adopt toward Afghanistan?
Ans. India is advised to pursue cautious, conditional engagement that promotes stability, inclusion, and economic recovery without rushing to recognise the regime.

 Source: The Hindu

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The Vision of Model Youth Gram Sabhas

Context

• True essence of participatory democracy lies not in national chambers, but in the Gram Sabha, the village assembly that enables citizens to directly deliberate on community development and governance.
• Enshrined through Article 243A in the 73rd Constitutional Amendment, the Gram Sabha represents every registered voter in a village and grants them the authority to shape local priorities.
• Yet, despite its foundational role, the Gram Sabha remains under-recognised and under-utilised.
• To realise the vision of a people-led Viksit Bharat, it is essential to transform grassroots governance into an aspirational democratic experience for young citizens.

The Significance of the Gram Sabha and The Problem

• The Significance of the Gram Sabha

  • The Gram Sabha is the bedrock of the Panchayati Raj system, enabling direct public participation in decision-making.
  • It allows villagers to collectively evaluate budgets, development proposals, welfare delivery, and administrative performance.
  • Unlike representative democracy at higher levels, the Gram Sabha embodies direct democracy, nurturing accountability, transparency, and community empowerment.
  • When functioning effectively, it becomes a real-time forum for identifying needs, prioritising projects, and ensuring equitable resource use.
  • However, its democratic potential remains largely untapped due to limited awareness and participation.

• The Problem: Civic Imagination Without Grassroots Democracy

  • Despite its constitutional authority, the Gram Sabha seldom features prominently in India's civic education or public consciousness.
  • Students are extensively introduced to the workings of Parliament, global diplomacy, and Model United Nations, but rarely to the function of village assemblies.
  • As a result, rural leadership is viewed as administrative rather than aspirational, and the idea of becoming a Sarpanch or ward representative rarely enters young people's imagination.
  • This disconnect turns grassroots democracy into an abstract concept rather than a lived civic practice.

The Model Youth Gram Sabha: A Transformative Initiative

• To bridge this gap, the Government of India launched the Model Youth Gram Sabha in 2025 through a collaboration between the Ministry of Panchayati Raj, Ministry of Education, Ministry of Tribal Affairs, and the Aspirational Bharat Collaborative.
• MYGS simulates real Gram Sabha proceedings in academic institutions, allowing students to assume roles such as Sarpanch, ward members, engineers, and health workers.
• They debate budgets, discuss development challenges, and pass resolutions, learning governance by doing.
• Supported by teacher training and recognition-based incentives, the initiative transforms textbook civics into a dynamic, participatory learning experience.

Scaling the Model: Implementation and Progress

• The first phase of MYGS includes:
  • 1,000+ schools across 28 States and 8 Union Territories
  • Over 600 Navodaya Vidyalayas, 200 Eklavya Model Schools, and select Zilla Parishad schools
  • 126 master trainers and 1,238 trained teachers across 24 States and UTs
  • Pilot successes in Uttar Pradesh and Rajasthan, including a 300-student simulation in Bundi district
• Phase 2 seeks to extend MYGS to all state-run schools, embedding democratic practice across India's diverse educational landscape.

Impact on Civic Behaviour and Nation-Building

• MYGS cultivates more than administrative understanding, it develops citizenship.
• Students learn public speaking, negotiation, budgeting, problem-solving, and consensus-building.
• Early exposure to grassroots governance increases the likelihood that future citizens, bureaucrats, and leaders will value decentralised decision-making.
• When young minds learn that their village assembly is as powerful as Parliament, civic participation becomes habitual rather than symbolic.
• This cultural shift can strengthen local accountability, deepen democratic values, and expand opportunities for inclusive leadership.

Future Path: Ensuring Sustainability and Inclusivity

• For MYGS to succeed long-term, it must:
  • Ensure high-quality teacher training
  • Use local languages and context-based village data
  • Encourage participation from girls and marginalised groups
  • Track outcomes such as increased real Gram Sabha participation
• These steps will ensure the simulation translates into genuine civic transformation.

Conclusion

• The Gram Sabha is not merely an administrative unit; it is the heartbeat of Indian democracy.
• Reviving its importance in national imagination requires deliberate civic education and lived participation.
• The Model Youth Gram Sabha does exactly that by transforming classrooms into micro-democracies and shaping future citizens who value grassroots self-governance.
• If nurtured and scaled thoughtfully, this initiative can convert democratic rights into democratic habits.

The Vision of Model Youth Gram Sabhas FAQs

 Q1. What is the Gram Sabha?
Ans. The Gram Sabha is a village assembly in India where all registered voters participate directly in decisions about local development and governance.

Q2. Why is the Gram Sabha important in a democracy?
Ans. The Gram Sabha is important because it enables direct citizen participation, promotes accountability, and strengthens grassroots democracy.

Q3. What problem does the Model Youth Gram Sabha address?
Ans. The Model Youth Gram Sabha addresses the lack of awareness and aspiration among students regarding grassroots democratic institutions like the Gram Sabha.

Q4. Who launched the Model Youth Gram Sabha initiative?
Ans. The Model Youth Gram Sabha was launched by the Ministry of Panchayati Raj in collaboration with the Ministry of Education, Ministry of Tribal Affairs, and the Aspirational Bharat Collaborative.

Q5. How does the Model Youth Gram Sabha benefit students?
Ans. The Model Youth Gram Sabha benefits students by giving them hands-on experience in local governance, helping them learn leadership, decision-making, and civic responsibility.

 Source: The Hindu