Taliban foreign minister, Amir Khan Muttaqi, arrived in New Delhi on Wednesday for a weeklong visit — his first since the Taliban seized power in August 2021.
The visit follows a special exemption by the United Nations Security Council’s Taliban Sanctions Committee, which temporarily lifted Muttaqi’s travel ban to allow the trip. The exemption was approved on September 30.
Upon arrival, he was welcomed by Randhir Jaiswal, spokesperson for India’s Ministry of External Affairs (MEA). “We look forward to engaging discussions with him on bilateral relations and regional issues,” Jaiswal said in a post on X.
Muttaqi’s visit comes at the invitation of External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar and will last until October 16, according to Hindustan Times. He is expected to meet Jaishankar and National Security Advisor Ajit Doval to discuss bilateral relations, regional security, trade, and connectivity projects.
The newspaper said Muttaqi is also likely to visit Darul Uloom Deoband, the Islamic seminary in Uttar Pradesh, and the Taj Mahal in Agra. He is expected to meet business groups and members of the Afghan community in India.
The visit marks India’s highest-level engagement with the Taliban since their return to power, signaling what analysts describe as a pragmatic shift in New Delhi’s Afghanistan policy. India has reopened its embassy in Kabul with a small technical team but has not formally recognized the Taliban government.
Muttaqi was originally placed under UN sanctions in 2001, which include a travel ban, asset freeze, and arms embargo. The UN sanctions committee — chaired this year by Pakistan — approved a temporary waiver for his travel to India.
Earlier this year, Jaishankar said he had a “good conversation” with Muttaqi after the Taliban condemned a terror attack in Jammu and Kashmir’s Pahalgam area, calling it a “positive sign” in bilateral contacts.
The visit also coincides with British Prime Minister Keir Starmer’s trip to India for trade talks, as New Delhi balances regional diplomacy amid shifting global alliances.
