The United Nations Security Council has approved a temporary travel ban exemption for Taliban Foreign Minister Amir Khan Muttaqi, allowing him to visit New Delhi in October, according to a UN statement.
The exemption, cleared on Sept. 30 by the Security Council’s sanctions committee on Afghanistan, permits Muttaqi to travel to India from Oct. 9 to 16. He is normally barred from international travel under sanctions imposed by resolution 1988 (2011).
The decision comes after a previous attempt to send Muttaqi to India earlier this year was blocked. Sources told Amu at the time that the trip was canceled due to U.S. opposition to granting a waiver. Washington has signaled increasing reluctance to support exemptions for senior Taliban officials, arguing that such moves grant legitimacy to leaders who continue to restrict women’s rights and suppress freedoms in Afghanistan.
Other Taliban figures have recently been allowed to travel abroad under similar exemptions. In July, Khairullah Khairkhwah received approval to travel to Moscow for medical treatment, and in August, Abdul Salam Hanafi was granted permission to visit Doha for the same reason.
