NEW DELHI: In a significant diplomatic development, Afghanistan’s Foreign Minister Amir Khan Muttaqi will visit India next week, signaling continued engagement between New Delhi and Kabul’s Taliban-led administration.
Muttaqi, who has served as Afghanistan’s top diplomat since the Taliban assumed power in August 2021, is scheduled to be in Delhi from October 9-10. The visit comes after the United Nations Security Council granted him a travel exemption, required under UN sanctions for international travel.
The trip coincides with his scheduled participation in Moscow-format talks on Afghanistan, indicating a packed diplomatic itinerary for the Afghan minister.
While India has not formally recognized the Taliban government, it has maintained pragmatic channels of communication with Kabul since 2021. This engagement has primarily focused on humanitarian assistance and trade facilitation, particularly through the Chabahar Port project.
This upcoming visit follows several high-level contacts between the two sides. Earlier this year, Indian Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri met Muttaqi in Dubai, discussing India’s humanitarian support for Afghanistan’s health sector and refugee rehabilitation.
The Afghan government has consistently described India as a “significant regional and economic partner.” This characterization was reinforced in April when Indian diplomat Anand Prakash, Joint Secretary for Pakistan, Afghanistan and Iran at the Ministry of External Affairs, met Muttaqi in Kabul.
In May, External Affairs Minister Dr. S. Jaishankar spoke with Muttaqi shortly after India conducted Operation Sindoor following the Pahalgam terror attack. Kabul had condemned the attack, with Foreign Ministry spokesman Abdul Qahar Balkhi stating such incidents “undermine efforts to ensure regional security and stability.”
India temporarily suspended its diplomatic mission in Kabul after the Taliban takeover but reopened it in July 2022 with a technical team. Since then, New Delhi has concentrated on providing humanitarian support to the Afghan people.
India’s assistance has been substantial, including immediate relief after recent earthquakes with thousands of family tents and tonnes of food supplies. Since August 2021, India has supplied approximately 50,000 tonnes of wheat, over 330 tonnes of medicines and vaccines, and numerous other essential items for millions of Afghans in need.
Additionally, India has partnered with the UN Office on Drugs and Crime on rehabilitation programs and provided scholarships to 2,000 Afghan students, including nearly 600 women and girls, for higher education courses since 2023.
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