Taliban to get crash course in Indian culture

New Delhi: For the first time India will teach officials of the Taliban regime in Afghanistan about its culture, legislation and business climate during a four-day crash course. The online course begins Tuesday and is offered by the Indian foreign ministry.

The course will be taught by the Indian Institute of Management (IIM) Kozhikode situated in the southern India state of Kerala.

The crash course underscores India’s continued interest in staying engaged with Afghanistan’s new government.

Titled ‘Immersing with Indian Thoughts, an India Immersion Program’, the course has been designed by the Indian Technical and Economic Cooperation (ITEC), a division of India’s Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) that executes capacity-building projects in partner countries.

A report by Indian Express said the course which will continue till 17 March is also expected to see delegates from Thailand and Malaysia attending the course apart from Afghanistan.

The course will offer an opportunity to experience and learn about India’s economic environment, cultural heritage, social backdrop among other aspects.

India doesn’t formally recognise the Taliban government, that seized power in 2021 after the US pulled out its troops from Afghanistan.

However, India, last year, re-opened its embassy in Kabul. Also, for long, the country has been concerned about Afghan soil being used by neighbouring Pakistan for terror attacks against New Delhi, especially in its restive portion of Kashmir.

India’s crash-course for Taliban

ITEC on its website detailed that the programme will “facilitate a deeper understanding of the latent order within the apparent chaos that will help foreign officials and executives gain a deeper understanding and appreciation of India’s business environment.”

It further said the participants will learn about India’s “economic environment, regulatory ecosystem, leadership insights, social and historical backdrop, cultural heritage, legal and environmental landscape, consumer mind-sets and business risks”.

During the course, the participants will learn about India’s rural economy and its ancient maritime trade routes.

On the completion of the course, participants will be given a digital certificate, PDF versions of referral materials, case studies, PPTs, and teaching videos.

On the fourth and the final day of the course, an online valedictory session will be conducted during which an official from MEA will be invited as the chief guest.

As many as 30 participants including government officials, business leaders, executives and entrepreneurs will attend the course.

A circular was issued on 20 February by the Institute of Diplomacy at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Kabul, referring to an official note dated 23 January from the Indian Embassy in Kabul, inviting the ministry to nominate eligible candidates for the course.

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