On June 19, 2026, the Parliamentary Standing Committee on External Affairs, headed by Congress leader Shashi Tharoor, received an elaborate briefing from senior officials as part of preparations for the committee’s June 22–25 visit to Jammu and Kashmir. Members of the committee sought information on several key concerns of Indian foreign policy and bilateral relations. Questions were raised regarding India’s security-centric Pakistan policy and the future of cross-Line of Control (LoC) links. The members also sought briefings on Pakistan-administered Kashmir, the Indus Waters issue, outreach to Central Asia, and Kashmir’s strategic future. In my opinion, these are also the issues being debated by experts and ordinary citizens alike in the streets and by-lanes of Jammu and Kashmir.

Kashmir’s Central Asia AngleThe Standing Committee on External Affairs exhibited a notable interest in India’s Central Asia policy, marking a departure from the focus of previous committees. The committee asked why Jammu and Kashmir rarely features prominently in India’s “Connect Central Asia” policy despite its geographic proximity and centuries-old commercial and cultural ties with the region. They also wanted to know how India’s soft power could be leveraged to strengthen the Kashmir-Central Asia connection. In this context, attention was drawn to the enduring legacy of the 14th-century Sufi saint Mir Syed Ali Hamadani, whose shrine is located in Kulob, Tajikistan. This article is a modest attempt to understand India’s Connect Central Asia Policy and its implications.

An Ad Hoc PolicyIndia’s Connect Central Asia Policy has remained largely ad hoc and marginal over time due to limitations in its neighbourhood policy. In recent years, however, the Government of India hosted the first India-Central Asia Virtual Summit on January 27, 2022. Earlier, the Central Asian leaders had participated in a similar virtual summit with Chinese President Xi Jinping.Significantly, these summits have now been institutionalized and are held every two years, resulting in incremental policy improvements. India was among the first countries to recognize the Central Asian republics following the breakup of the Soviet Union. Nevertheless, India’s presence in the region remains limited. India and the Central Asian republics are separated by geopolitical hotspots, and natural transit routes remain blocked due to India-Pakistan tensions. The strategic priority for policymakers in New Delhi should be to deepen cooperation with Central Asia through natural routes and secure greater........

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