Internationally sanctioned Afghan Foreign Minister Amir Khan Muttaqi arrived in India on Thursday for the first visit by a top Taliban official since the movement’s return to power in 2021, marking a significant step in New Delhi’s re-engagement with Kabul.

UN travel waiver enables rare high-level visit

Muttaqi’s trip was made possible after the United Nations Security Council (UNSC) granted him a temporary travel waiver from existing sanctions. His visit, set to last through mid-October, includes talks with Indian Foreign Minister Subrahmanyam Jaishankar and other senior officials, as confirmed by both New Delhi and Kabul.

“We look forward to engaging discussions with him on bilateral relations and regional issues,” Indian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said, extending a “warm welcome” to the Afghan minister.

This marks the first time an Afghan official of the Taliban-led government has been hosted in New Delhi since the US withdrawal and the fall of the previous Western-backed government.

India treads cautiously on recognition

While the talks signal a thaw in India’s approach to Afghanistan, analysts and diplomats agree that formal recognition of the Taliban government remains distant.

“India is not in a hurry to provide diplomatic recognition to the Taliban,” said Rakesh Sood, India’s former ambassador to Kabul, in comments to AFP.

Instead, India’s engagement remains focused on humanitarian and developmental issues. Its diplomatic mission in Kabul currently coordinates aid distribution, including food and medical assistance, while the Afghan consulates in Mumbai and Hyderabad continue to operate limited consular services.

Regional competition for influence

Observers view Muttaqi’s visit as part of a broader regional recalibration. “New Delhi is eager to establish its influence in Kabul... and not be left behind by its arch-rivals, China and Pakistan,” said Praveen Donthi, an analyst with the International Crisis Group.

Muttaqi’s arrival comes after meetings in Russia, the only country so far to have formally recognized the Taliban administration. The move reflects growing competition among regional powers for influence in Afghanistan’s political and security landscape.

Pakistan, in particular, is expected to closely monitor the visit, given its deep ties with the Taliban movement and its own strained relations with India.

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Trade, security, and legitimacy at stake

Though the agenda of the talks has not been publicly disclosed, trade and regional security are expected to feature prominently. India has long expressed concern about the resurgence of extremist networks in Afghanistan and their potential spillover into neighboring states.

For the Taliban government, the visit represents another step toward breaking diplomatic isolation. “The Taliban are seeking diplomatic recognition and legitimacy,” Donthi said, noting, however, that such recognition remains “some way off.”

Read more: Afghan deputy PM urges international recognition of Taliban-led gov.

De facto engagement

Several countries have adopted a pragmatic approach toward Afghanistan’s Taliban-led government, engaging with it on a de facto basis without extending formal recognition.

Nations such as China and the United Arab Emirates have accepted Taliban-appointed diplomats and accredited their credentials, signaling functional cooperation while withholding official endorsement.

Meanwhile, Pakistan, Iran, and several Central Asian states, including Uzbekistan, Turkmenistan, and Kazakhstan, maintain working relations with Taliban representatives to manage trade, border security, and regional stability.

In some cases, Taliban diplomats continue to operate Afghan consulates or missions abroad, such as in Dubai and Malaysia, under limited or conditional arrangements that stop short of granting full diplomatic legitimacy.

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