The first-ever visit of Afghan Foreign Minister Amir Khan Muttaqi to India for talks with the Indian leadership marks a significant shift in New Delhi’s long-standing policy toward the Taliban. Although India has not formally recognized the Taliban government, the visit and the discussions signaled that India now acknowledges the reality on the ground: The Taliban are the de facto authority in Afghanistan for the foreseeable future, and it is in India’s strategic interest to engage with them, even if that means recalibrating its previous stance.
India had closed its embassy in Kabul after the Taliban returned to power following the withdrawal of US-led NATO forces in 2021. However, soon after the regime change, New Delhi reopened a small technical mission to coordinate humanitarian assistance. Following Muttaqi’s visit, India agreed to upgrade that technical mission into a full diplomatic mission in Kabul. The Taliban, in turn, announced plans to send their own diplomats to their embassy in New Delhi.
For years, India’s position had been that there was no such thing as a “good” or “bad” Taliban, viewing the group’s ties with anti-India factions as irredeemable. That stance echoed India’s response when the Taliban first seized power in 1996, when New Delhi closed its embassy and severed contact with the movement. In 2008, India blamed a Taliban faction for a deadly attack on its embassy in Kabul that killed 58 people, including an Indian diplomat.
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After the Taliban’s ouster in 2001, India was among the first nations to reestablish diplomatic ties with Afghanistan, eager to help rebuild the war-torn country. The current policy shift—including India’s willingness to explore trade and economic cooperation—is rooted in broader geopolitical and regional imperatives. New Delhi views Afghanistan as a crucial gateway to Central Asia, key to enhancing land and trade connectivity. At the same time, India’s national security priorities are intertwined with regional stability and the need for allies to help safeguard its internal security.
During the talks, the Afghan foreign minister assured Indian officials that Afghan soil would not be used for anti-India activities—an assurance that New Delhi considers essential. For his part, Indian External Affairs Minister Subrahmanyam Jaishankar emphasized that India and Afghanistan share a “common commitment to achieving growth and prosperity.” A central theme of the talks was expanding bilateral trade, with both sides welcoming the launch of the India-Afghanistan Air Cargo Corridor, which will improve connectivity and boost commerce.
The two governments also agreed to cooperate on hydropower projects to meet Afghanistan’s energy needs and support its agricultural development, while strengthening air cargo links between Delhi, Kabul, Amritsar, and Kandahar—particularly to facilitate the export of Afghan fresh produce to India.
In a speech to business leaders at the Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce and Industry, Muttaqi urged Indian investors to participate in Afghanistan’s mining and infrastructure sectors, citing major improvements in security and a trade volume already reaching $1 billion. India reaffirmed its commitment to supporting the Afghan people by strengthening the country’s health and education infrastructure, continuing to award more than 1,000 annual university scholarships, and considering additional grants through the Indian Council for Cultural Relations.
New Delhi also announced six new health initiatives, the donation of 20 ambulances, and medical equipment, including MRI and CT scanners, alongside pledges to continue providing vaccines, anti-cancer medications, and disaster relief for earthquake-affected regions. The Taliban foreign minister’s visit represents a meaningful step forward for both nations: For the Taliban, it strengthens their quest for legitimacy; for India, it reinforces strategic and security interests in a volatile neighborhood. Over the past two decades, India invested more than $3 billion in Afghanistan’s development—building roads, schools, hospitals, and the national parliament—and granted visa-free travel to Afghans for education, business, and medical purposes. Today, New Delhi seeks to rebuild its bridges not only with the Taliban government but also with the Afghan people, many of whom believe India could have done more to preserve its humanitarian and cultural ties during the years of turmoil.
Zikru Al-Rahman (translated by Asaf Zilberfarb)