DUSHANBE: Tajikistan has ordered India to vacate the Ayni Air Base, ending over two decades of Indian military presence in Central Asia, foreign media reported.
The move delivers a major diplomatic and strategic setback for New Delhi, as Ayni was India’s only overseas military base.
Located near Dushanbe, the base had been under Indian control for more than 25 years. It served as a key hub for intelligence coordination, logistics, and regional outreach, particularly toward Afghanistan.
India invested about $100 million in upgrading Ayni’s runways, hangars, and surveillance systems. That investment is now effectively lost following Tajikistan’s order.
Analysts said the eviction ends what many saw as India’s “northern frontier” in the region and erases its only military foothold abroad.
Foreign reports claim the base played a central role in India’s intelligence operations and regional influence, supporting networks in Afghanistan and Central Asia.
The Indian National Congress party called the development a “strategic failure,” saying it reflects the decline of India’s diplomatic weight in the region.
Experts noted that Tajikistan’s growing ties with China and Russia have further isolated New Delhi in Central Asia.
The closure marks the collapse of India’s long-held ambition to project power beyond South Asia and underscores the limits of its defense strategy in the region.
In August, Pakistan and Tajikistan successfully conducted the Joint Counter-Terrorism Exercise Dosti-II at the Fakhrobod Base, Tajikistan, reasserting their commitment to empowering security cooperation and increasing regional stability.
In this regard, the exercise, which was held from 4 to 9 August 2025, brought together two combat teams from the Light Commando Battalion of the Pakistan Army and four combat teams from the Special Forces of Tajikistan, as mentioned by Inter Services Public Relations (ISPR).
