Afghan Foreign Minister Mawlawi Amir Khan Muttaqi arrived in New Delhi on Thursday for a six-day visit to India. This is the first visit by an Afghan Foreign Minister since the Taliban came to power in Afghanistan. During this visit, Muttaqi will hold important meetings with Foreign Minister S. Jaishankar and National Security Advisor Ajit Doval.
Muttaqi was originally scheduled to visit India last month, but the visit had to be cancelled due to a travel ban imposed by the United Nations Security Council (UNSC). However, on September 30, the UNSC granted Muttaqi a temporary exemption to travel to India from October 9 to 16, making his visit possible.
Ministry of External Affairs welcomes
Upon Muttaqi’s arrival in India, Ministry of External Affairs spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal welcomed him in a post on the social media platform X. Jaiswal said in his post, “A warm welcome to Afghan Foreign Minister Maulvi Amir Khan Muttaqi upon his arrival in New Delhi. We look forward to constructive discussions on bilateral relations and regional issues. During his visit, Muttaqi will also visit Darul Uloom Deoband and the Taj Mahal in Agra.”
Earlier, on May 15, Foreign Minister Jaishankar and Muttaqi had a phone conversation, which was considered the highest-level contact between India and Afghanistan since the Taliban regime. In January, the Taliban government described India as an important regional and economic power during a conversation between Muttaqi and Indian Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri.
Understand how important Muttaqi’s visit to India is?
This visit by the Afghan Foreign Minister to India is considered special in many ways. This is because it could open a new chapter in relations between India and the Taliban regime. India has not yet officially recognized the Taliban government and has repeatedly appealed for the formation of an inclusive government in Afghanistan. At the same time, India has also been reiterating that Afghan soil should not be used for terrorism against any country.
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