Recent social-media speculation suggested that
Bagram Air Base in Afghanistan might host a presence of India either through
direct access or logistical cooperation. However, Afghan officials have
categorically rejected these reports. Kabul has stated that India has neither
sought nor been offered any presence at the base, describing all such
online claims as “baseless” and seemingly designed to undermine the
relationship between the two nations.
Kabul’s
Public Position on Foreign Military Presence
The Afghan Foreign Minister, Mawlawi Amir Khan
Muttaqi, during his visit to New Delhi, reaffirmed that Afghanistan will not
allow any foreign military presence at Bagram. He emphasised that
Afghanistan remains a sovereign state and any engagement must be strictly
diplomatic and civilian in nature. This strongly undercuts the narrative that
India might be negotiating for a foothold at the base.
Why the
Rumours Gained Traction
Analysts point to a number of factors behind
the emergence of these rumours. One key trigger: India’s recent draw-down of
its logistical role at the Ayni Air Base in Tajikistan, which it had helped
refurbish decades earlier. That move sparked speculation that India might seek
an alternate location, possibly in Afghanistan. Meanwhile, Bagram remains symbolically and
strategically significant: located roughly 60 km north of Kabul, it served for
years as the hub of U.S. and NATO operations, and has a deep logistic network
and twin runways originally developed under Soviet and then U.S. control.
India’s
Actual Policy and Engagement with Afghanistan
India’s official engagement with Afghanistan
continues to be anchored in developmental and humanitarian support
rather than military alignment. New Delhi has emphasised its focus on schools,
health infrastructure, food-aid, and people-to-people links. Any suggestion of
military use of Afghan facilities would conflict with India’s stated posture
and risk straining its relationships across the region with powers such as
Russia, Iran and the Central Asian republics. Moreover, India recently announced the upgrade
of its technical mission in Kabul to a full embassy, signalling deeper
diplomatic and economic engagement.
Regional
Strategic Context and Why the Issue Matters
The swirl of speculation around Bagram also
reflects broader geopolitical undercurrents. The base is attractive to many
given its location near the Hindu Kush and reach into Central and South Asia.
Meanwhile, other regional actors including Pakistan have their own interest in
ensuring access or influence there. Some sources suggest that U.S. interest in
resuming operational access to Bagram may have spurred discussions, and that
Pakistan’s military establishment might have influenced those calculations. In this light, India’s clear distancing from
military presence at Bagram helps preserve its flexibility and avoid being
drawn into a harder-militarised regional competition.
What This
Means and Key Takeaways
In plain terms, here are the main conclusions:
The rumours of India having or negotiating a
presence at Bagram are false, according to Afghan officials.
Afghanistan is committed to keeping foreign
military bases off its soil, at least in the case of Bagram.
India’s policy remains one of diplomatic,
developmental, and humanitarian engagement
not military access or bases.
The speculation was likely driven by regional
strategic anxieties and shifts (Tajikistan base exit, U.S. interest in Bagram,
Pakistan’s posture) rather than any concrete Indian plan.
For India, this clarification helps it
maintain relationships across a complex regional field balancing ties with
Iran, Russia, Central Asia, and managing tensions with Pakistan and China.
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