India, May 1 -- India's outreach to Afghanistan's Taliban leadership amid heightened tensions with Pakistan after the Pahalgam terror attack seems part of the calibrated engagement with the dispensation in Kabul with an eye on regional security and stability. Officially, this was the first meeting between the Indian diplomat assigned to lead the crucial Pakistan-Afghanistan-Iran division in the external affairs ministry and the Taliban's acting foreign minister. It is significant that the Taliban condemned the Pahalgam attack and said such incidents undermine regional security. It also figured in Sunday's meeting between the two sides at a time when the Afghan Taliban's relations with their previous benefactors in Pakistan are severely strained. This engagement has moved forward because of a sense of pragmatism in New Delhi despite suspicions about the group in some quarters. Not engaging with the regime in Kabul will leave the field open to other regional players, who have already made moves that could impinge on India's security interests. Continuing the engagement in a clear-eyed manner could also help manage Kabul's reaction to escalation of tensions between India and Pakistan. However, one of India's punitive measures against Pakistan - the closure of the border crossing at Attari - has hit Afghan traders, for whom it is the cheapest route to transport goods to India. India should quickly address the traders' fears about their exports getting blocked. Iran's Chabahar route can be an alternative route though the costs will be relatively higher. New Delhi's measures to bolster trade and development cooperation with Kabul can address the Afghans' economic challenges ....