India has withdrawn from the Ayni Airbase in Tajikistan, marking the end of its two-decade-long military presence in Central Asia.

About the Ayni Airbase

• Location: Ayni (Gissar Military Aerodrome), near Dushanbe, the capital of Tajikistan.
• Historical Background: Originally a Soviet-era airfield, it was abandoned after the USSR’s collapse in 1991.
• Development by India:
  • In 2002, India and Tajikistan signed an agreement to renovate and co-develop the airbase.
  • Funded and executed by India’s Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) with support from the Border Roads Organisation (BRO) and private contractors.
  • India invested around $100 million in the project.
• Strategic Importance for India:
  • Ayni was India’s only overseas military base, giving it a strategic foothold in Central Asia.
  • The airbase was located just 20 km from Afghanistan’s Wakhan Corridor, near the Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK) region.
  • In the late 1990s and early 2000s, Ayni served as India’s logistics hub for supporting the Northern Alliance, led by Ahmad Shah Massoud, in its fight against the Taliban.
• Expiry of the Bilateral Agreement : The joint operation agreement between India and Tajikistan expired in 2022.
  • Tajikistan chose not to renew the agreement or lease, ending India’s rights over the facility.

About Tajikistan

• Location: Tajikistan is a landlocked country located in Central Asia.
• It lies at the crossroads of South Asia, Central Asia, and China’s western frontier.
• Bordering Countries: 
  • Afghanistan – to the south
  • China – to the east
  • Kyrgyzstan – to the north
  • Uzbekistan – to the west
• Geographic Features:
  • It is predominantly mountainous, with over 90% of its area covered by mountain ranges.
  • The country lies within the Pamir and Alay Mountains, often called the “Roof of the World.”
  • The Fergana Valley (in the northwest) is the only major lowland and one of the most fertile regions.
  • Numerous glaciers (like the Fedchenko Glacier) feed major Central Asian rivers.
• Climate:
  • Continental climate with significant variations by altitude.
  • Hot summers and cold winters; temperatures can vary sharply between valleys and mountains.
• Notable Peaks:
  • Ismoil Somoni Peak (formerly Communism Peak) – 7,495 m, the highest point in Tajikistan and Central Asia.
  • Lenin Peak (Ibn Sina Peak) – 7,134 m, on the Kyrgyz border.
• Rivers: Tajikistan is the source of two major rivers of Central Asia –
  • Amu Darya River – formed by the confluence of the Panj and Vakhsh rivers; flows westward into the Aral Sea basin.
  • Syr Darya River – originates partly in the northern mountains.
• Lakes: Karakul Lake, Iskanderkul Lake, Sarez Lake

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