Diplomatic Turn with Taliban: Afghanistan’s Foreign Minister Amir Khan Muttaqi Arrives in India for a 7-Day Visit

New Delhi (The Uttam Hindu): In a significant diplomatic development, Afghanistan’s Foreign Minister Amir Khan Muttaqi, representing the Taliban-led government, has arrived in New Delhi for a seven-day visit. This marks the highest-level engagement between India and the Taliban regime since the fall of the Ashraf Ghani government nearly four years ago.

During his visit, Muttaqi is scheduled to tour Darul Uloom Deoband — one of India’s most prominent Islamic seminaries — as well as the Taj Mahal in Agra. Interestingly, several Afghan students are currently enrolled at the Deoband madrasa, symbolizing ongoing people-to-people connections between the two nations despite political shifts.

Originally, Muttaqi was slated to visit India last month, but his travel plans were postponed due to restrictions imposed by the United Nations Security Council (UNSC). On September 30, the UNSC’s sanctions committee granted him temporary travel clearance, allowing his visit between October 9 and October 16.

Diplomatic observers view this visit as a potential milestone that could redefine India’s engagement with the Taliban government in Kabul. Earlier in May 2025, Indian External Affairs Minister Dr. S. Jaishankar had a telephonic conversation with Muttaqi, signaling cautious re-engagement.

While India has not formally recognized the Taliban regime, it continues to maintain humanitarian and security-level communications with Afghanistan. Following the U.S. troop withdrawal in 2021 and the Taliban’s return to power, New Delhi had evacuated its diplomats but later reopened a ‘Technical Mission’ in Kabul in 2022, focusing on humanitarian aid and limited diplomatic coordination.

Globally, the Taliban government remains unrecognized, though countries like Russia and China have initiated diplomatic dialogues in recent months. India’s renewed outreach through Muttaqi’s visit may signal a strategic recalibration aimed at protecting its regional interests, infrastructure investments, and security cooperation in Afghanistan.