Afghanistan’s acting Foreign Minister Amir Khan Muttaki will be on an 8-day visit to India from today. This visit was undertaken by Foreign Minister S. It is happening on the invitation of Jaishankar. The special thing is that this is the first ministerial-level visit from Kabul to India after the Taliban came to power in August 2021.
The special thing about this tour is that it could be made possible only after the approval of the United Nations Security Council (UNSC). UNSC has given temporary exemption to Muttaki from the travel ban imposed on him so that he can come to India. Let us know what is the agenda of Muttaki’s India tour?
What is the agenda of Muttaki’s visit?
According to Reuters and other reports, Muttaki will have a very busy schedule. He will not only meet Indian Foreign Minister Jaishankar, but will also meet National Security Advisor Ajit Doval, Indian business organizations and Afghan citizens living in India. Whether he will meet PM Modi or not has not been confirmed at the moment.
According to media reports, the agenda of the talks could be something like this:
1. Discussion on business cooperation- New avenues will be explored for export-import of dry fruits, spices and medicines between the two countries.
2. Partnership in health sector- India can agree to provide medical aid, medicines and medical training to Afghanistan.
3. Consular Services and Visa Process- There will be talk of visa relaxation and new consular facilities for Afghan students and patients,
4. Expansion of embassies- There will be discussion on restoring fully functional embassies and consulates in both Kabul and New Delhi.
5. Appointment of new ambassador- Taliban wants that now only their appointed representative should work as ambassador in India.
6. Investment and Infrastructure Projects- Taliban may demand from India to restart old projects and new investment plans.
7. Security Guarantee- India can seek concrete assurances to protect its security interests and against terrorism.
Will India give recognition to Taliban?
After America’s withdrawal from Afghanistan in 2021, when Taliban captured Kabul, India closed its embassy. Since then, there have been no formal relations between the two countries, although backdoor talks and humanitarian aid have continued. Apart from Russia, no country recognizes Taliban. Now this visit of Muttaki is being considered a part of Taliban’s effort in which they want to gain international legitimacy by improving relations with regional countries like India. Experts say that India will avoid giving official recognition to the Taliban regime for the time being.
UN approval and restrictions on Muttaki
Amir Khan Muttaqi was included in the UN sanctions list on 25 January 2001. People included in this list face restrictions like travel ban, asset freeze and ban on purchasing weapons. However, on 30 September 2025, the Taliban Sanctions Committee of the UNSC has given him approval to visit India from 9 to 16 October. Pakistan is chairing this committee, while Guyana and Russia are vice-chairpersons.
India in support of Taliban on Bagram dispute
India has opposed US President Donald Trump’s plan in which he had talked about withdrawing Bagram airbase from Afghanistan. Taliban, Pakistan, China and Russia have supported India on this issue. The statement came after the ‘Moscow Format Consultations’ meeting held in Moscow on Tuesday, which was attended by representatives of India, Afghanistan, Iran, Kazakhstan, China, Kyrgyzstan, Pakistan, Russia, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan. Before coming to India, Muttaki had also participated in the Moscow format meeting.
