India is seeking wider ties with Afghanistan as Kabul's conflict with Pakistan disrupts trade, while World Bank data show Afghanistan's overall trade depends on transit corridors outside India's control.
The World Bank's September economic monitor said India received 41.2% of Afghanistan's recorded exports in Afghan fiscal 2026 through September, making it the country's largest export market. Pakistan received 4.8%. Those shares track export destinations; the bank's separate corridor figures describe Afghanistan's overall recorded trade.
The Iranian trade and transit corridor accounted for 56% of that overall trade and the Central Asian corridor for 39%, the bank said. It identified Pakistan's border closure and conflict in the Middle East as disruptions to Afghan trade and transit. September exports fell 21% from September 2025.
Afghan Foreign Minister Mawlawi Amir Khan Muttaqi met Indian chargé d’affaires Yatin Patel in Kabul on Oct. 14. Afghanistan's Foreign Ministry said Muttaqi called for stronger cooperation between the governments and businesses. It said Patel expressed India's interest in wider economic, political and humanitarian ties.
The two countries had agreed in October 2025 to expand health and development cooperation and welcomed the start of an air freight corridor. Their joint statement also recorded Kabul's pledge that Afghan territory would not be used against India.
Pakistan's Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Mohammad Ishaq Dar said Oct. 20 that Islamabad expected the Taliban authorities to prevent Afghan territory from being used for terrorism against Pakistan. Afghanistan's Foreign Ministry rejected Pakistan's claim that attacks in Pakistan originated on Afghan soil.
The United Nations Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA) said Oct. 1 that it had documented more than 1,100 civilian deaths and injuries in Afghanistan from cross-border armed violence during 2026. UNAMA earlier counted 56 civilians killed and 129 injured in fighting from late Feb. 26 through March 5.
Afghanistan expert Shanthie Mariet D’Souza told DW that Pakistan's rift with Kabul could give India more room to expand trade, aid and diplomatic contact. She saw little prospect of a strategic alliance between India and the Taliban authorities.
