India’s renewed diplomatic outreach to the Afghan Taliban is anchored in an urgent security calculus shaped by a series of recent terrorist incidents across India and Indian-occupied Jammu & Kashmir. Far from being a symbolic gesture, this engagement represents a pragmatic attempt to monitor jihadist networks operating from Afghan territory—particularly Al Qaeda in the Indian Subcontinent (AQIS)—and to pre-empt attacks resembling those witnessed in the last two years.
AQIS, a regional extension of Al Qaeda Central (AQC) announced in September 2014, was designed to expand jihadist influence across Pakistan, India, Bangladesh, and Myanmar. Its leadership, operational cadre, and training infrastructure remain embedded in Afghanistan. Analysts such as Alastair Reed argue that AQIS’s priorities include countering ISIS’s rise, retaining ideological relevance in South Asia, and protecting Al Qaeda’s long-standing sanctuary structures in Afghanistan—particularly after the US withdrawal.
Afghanistan continues to function as a staging ground where AQIS attempts to shape the Taliban’s internal orientation toward Sharia enforcement and to position itself as a vanguard of jihad in the region.
India: A Limited but Symbolically Important Target
India has faced a steady rise in low-scale but symbolically powerful attacks that have heightened its security concerns. These include the August 2023 killing of a Hindu priest in Rajouri, the foiled May 2024 plot near the Israeli Embassy in Delhi, the July 2024 Reasi bus attack that killed nine pilgrims, and the August 2025 Poonch ambush that claimed five soldiers. Additional incidents—such as the April 2025 strike in Pahalgam’s Baisaran Meadows and the October 2025 attack on a Srinagar police patrol—demonstrate the persistence of targeted violence, culminating in a low-intensity IED blast in Delhi in November 2025.
Indian intelligence increasingly attributes this evolving threat landscape to Al Qaeda and its affiliate AQIS, which are believed to be leveraging local vulnerabilities to expand their footprint. AQIS is seen as attempting to fuel sectarian tensions, activate local militant modules, and push the conflict beyond Kashmir into major Indian cities. This pattern reinforces fears that Al Qaeda aims to transform scattered attacks into a broader ideological campaign, deepening instability and positioning itself as the driver of this escalating threat environment.
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Central to AQIS propaganda is the “Ghazwa-al-Hind” motif—a long-standing call to wage an Islamic battle in India. Afghanistan-based groups frame attacks in Delhi, Jammu, Rajouri, and the Kashmir Valley as part of this ideological mission. AQIS functions as a connective umbrella for several South Asian jihadist outfits, including the Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP), Jaish-e-Mohammad (JeM), Lashkar-e-Jhangvi (LeJ), and Kashmir-focused militant cells.
Leadership currently lies with Osama Mahmood, a Pakistani cleric designated a global terrorist by the United States in 2022. Under him, AQIS is believed to maintain a few hundred fighters in Afghanistan, benefiting from Taliban-era permissiveness even if not direct support.
Despite its ambitions, AQIS has not developed an extensive operational network inside India. However, sporadic incidents—such as the Delhi IED blast and past attempts to create a militant infrastructure—show a sustained effort to develop a foothold. Propaganda and recruitment are largely digital, aimed at amplifying grievances and portraying India as a Western ally oppressing its Muslim population.
In August 2022, the Delhi Police Special Cell, in coordination with central agencies, dismantled an AQIS (Al-Qaeda in the Indian Subcontinent) module that was allegedly planning to establish a training camp in the dense forests of Jharkhand. While the group intensified its rhetoric after the abrogation of Article 370, its ideological outreach has largely failed to mobilize India’s Muslim population. Analysts attribute this to India’s democratic political space, community resilience, and limited societal support for extremist narratives.
The Case of Dr. Ishtiaq Ahmed
The case of Dr. Ishtiaq Ahmed, a radiologist from Ranchi, marks one of the most significant AQIS-related disruptions in recent years. Arrested in August 2024 during a multi-state operation involving Delhi Police Special Cell and Jharkhand ATS, he is accused of leading an emerging AQIS module with networks extending across Jharkhand, Rajasthan, and Uttar Pradesh.
Investigators allege that Dr. Ishtiaq recruited individuals through professional and personal networks, organized weapons and suicide-attack training in remote forest areas such as Chanho (Ranchi) and Bhiwadi (Rajasthan), and stockpiled arms, ammunition, and radical propaganda material. Multiple arrests followed, and authorities recovered weapons, including an AK-47, grenades, and training equipment, indicating an attempt to rebuild AQIS’s operational capacity inside India.
In February 2025, Delhi Police filed a comprehensive UAPA charge sheet against Dr. Ishtiaq and seven associates, outlining conspiracy, recruitment, training, and links to AQIS leadership. While several co-accused secured default bail due to procedural delays, the court rejected Dr. Ishtiaq’s bail, citing the gravity of the evidence and ongoing sanction requirements.
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The case is widely viewed by security agencies as a renewed attempt by AQIS to re-establish a presence inside India after years of setbacks, with this module still in an embryonic state but showing organized intent and interstate coordination.
The trial is ongoing, and further proceedings will determine the extent of the network’s planning, external links, and operational ambitions.
Against the backdrop of the latest attacks in Delhi and Jammu & Kashmir, India’s engagement with the Taliban has become a vital instrument of real-time security management. New Delhi’s outreach is aimed at tracking and constraining transnational jihadist groups—especially AQIS—at the very points where they retain sanctuary and strategic depth.
Although AQIS continues to benefit from permissive conditions in Taliban-held Afghanistan, its operational reach appears limited by scarce manpower, factional tensions, and minimal resonance among India’s Muslim population. The organization’s future trajectory will hinge heavily on shifting regional dynamics, including Taliban factional politics, Pakistan-based rivalries, and the evolving security environment along the Line of Control.
*The views expressed in this article are the authors’ own and do not represent TDI. The contributor is responsible for the originality of this piece.
Usman Anwar
Usman Anwar is a prospective M.Phil. scholar in Politics and International Relations. His research interests include security studies, maritime affairs, comparative politics, human rights, and climate change. His academic portfolio includes 7 published articles in reputable journals (Category Q-2 and Y) and a book review (Category Q-3). He can be reached at usmananwar2023@gmail.com
