Afghan Foreign Minister Amir Khan Muttaqi arrived in New Delhi. This visit is considered the most significant contact between India and the Taliban regime to date, with expectations of giving a new diplomatic dimension to relations between the two countries.
Afghanistan Foreign Minister: Afghanistan's Foreign Minister Amir Khan Muttaqi (Amir Khan Muttaqi) has arrived in New Delhi on an India visit. This trip is considered the biggest indication of high-level contact between India and the Taliban regime (Taliban Regime), nearly four years after the fall of Ashraf Ghani's government in Afghanistan. Muttaqi's visit could redefine relations between India and Afghanistan.
Significance of Muttaqi's India Visit
This visit by the Afghan Foreign Minister is very important for India's diplomatic policy (diplomatic policy). During his visit, Muttaqi will meet with Indian officials in New Delhi. According to sources, he will also visit the Darul Uloom Deoband (Darul Uloom Deoband) madrasa and the Taj Mahal (Taj Mahal) here. Currently, many Afghan students are receiving education at the Deoband madrasa.
This visit is considered an opportunity to open new doors for communication (communication) between India and the Taliban regime. Until now, India has maintained limited contact with the Taliban government and has primarily focused on humanitarian aid (humanitarian aid) in Afghanistan. Muttaqi's visit could prove to be a significant step towards confidence building (confidence building) between the two countries.
Temporary Exemption Granted by the United Nations
It is noteworthy that Muttaqi was scheduled to make this trip earlier, but his visit was canceled due to travel restrictions (travel restrictions) imposed by the UN Security Council (UN Security Council). Later, the UN sanctions committee (sanctions committee) granted him a temporary exemption to visit New Delhi from October 9 to 16 on September 30.
Muttaqi's arrival in India after this exemption is also considered a major diplomatic achievement (diplomatic achievement) for the Taliban. While most countries internationally have not recognized the Taliban regime, this high-level dialogue with India is being seen as a positive signal for the Taliban.
New Direction in India-Afghanistan Relations
Muttaqi's visit is expected to bring a new dimension (new dimension) to relations between India and Afghanistan. This contact has strengthened after a phone conversation between Indian Foreign Minister S. Jaishankar (S. Jaishankar) and Muttaqi in May 2025.
India has not yet granted official recognition (official recognition) to the Taliban regime. However, it has also clarified that humanitarian aid to the people of Afghanistan will continue. India has sent food grains, medicines, and emergency relief materials there. Muttaqi's visit could be a step towards formalizing this cooperation.
Background of Taliban Rule
In 2021, after the withdrawal of US forces (US Forces), power in Afghanistan once again fell into the hands of the Taliban. This change completely transformed Afghan politics (Afghan politics). Most countries have not yet recognized the Taliban's rule. However, some countries have maintained dialogue due to security and humanitarian concerns (security and humanitarian concerns).
In July 2025, Russia (Russia) became the first country to grant official recognition to the Taliban regime. India has not yet made any formal announcement in this regard, but Muttaqi's visit indicates that New Delhi is slowly moving towards building pragmatic (pragmatic) relations with Kabul.
