Story of India's withdrawal from overseas airbase in Tajikistan, Pg14.

Key Highlights:

• India withdrew its military personnel and equipment from the Ayni airbase in Tajikistan in 2022, ending its operation of its only overseas airbase.
• The airbase, near Dushanbe, was established to support the Northern Alliance in Afghanistan in the 1990s and was later used to evacuate Indians in 2021.
• India invested approximately $80 million in renovating the Soviet-era airbase under a 2002 agreement with Tajikistan.
• The Tajikistan government did not renew the lease for the airbase due to pressure from Russia and China.

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Detailed Insights:

• The Ayni airbase is strategically located about 20 km from Afghanistan's Wakhan Corridor, near Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK) and China's Xinjiang province.
• The withdrawal from Ayni could impact India's strategic influence in Central Asia, a region rich in resources and of geopolitical interest to China and Pakistan.
• In 2024, India and Mauritius inaugurated an airstrip and jetty on Agaléga Island, enhancing India's reach in the Indian Ocean amid growing Chinese influence.
• India maintains a military training team in Bhutan, providing training to the Royal Bhutan Army (RBA) and the Royal Bodyguard of Bhutan (RBG).

Key Concepts Involved:

• Wakhan Corridor: A narrow strip of territory in northeastern Afghanistan that extends to China, separating Tajikistan from Pakistan.
• Geopolitical Interest: The strategic importance of a region or location due to its political and geographical factors.
• Bilateral Arrangement: An agreement or understanding between two countries or parties.