New Delhi: In the first ministerial level-contact between India and the Taliban government, external affairs minister S. Jaishankar spoke with acting Afghan foreign minister Mawlawi Amir Khan Muttaqi and appreciated Kabul’s dismissal of the Pakistani claim that India had launched missile strikes on Afghan territory.

This is the first ministerial-level phone call since the Taliban came to power through military conquest as the US withdrew its forces in August 2021.

The exchange also comes against the backdrop of the recent India-Pakistan hostilities, which ended on May 10 after both sides agreed to cease fire.

In a post on X, Jaishankar said he had a “good conversation” with Muttaqi on Thursday (May 15) evening, adding that he “deeply appreciate[d] his condemnation of the Pahalgam terrorist attack”.

He further noted that India “welcomed his firm rejection of recent attempts to create distrust between India and Afghanistan through false and baseless reports”.

Pakistan’s military spokesperson, Lieutenant General Ahmed Sharif Chaudhry, had earlier alleged in a press conference held in the early hours of Saturday that India had “fired missiles at Afghan soil and conducted drone attacks inside Afghanistan”.

Later that day, Afghan defence ministry spokesperson Enayatullah Khwarazmi rejected the claim, stating that there was no truth to the allegation.

Following the April 22 terror attack that killed 26 civilians, the Taliban government condemned the incident, stating that “such attacks undermine efforts to ensure regional security and stability”.

After India launched Operation Sindoor on May 7, targeting nine sites in Pakistan with missile and drone strikes, Afghanistan had called on both countries to de-escalate tensions and resolve their differences through dialogue and diplomacy.

The Indian minister also spoke about India’s “traditional friendship” with the Afghan people and its “continuing support for their development needs”.

They also discussed “ways and means of taking cooperation forward”, Jaishankar wrote.

The Afghan foreign ministry readout didn’t mention the Pahalgam terror attack or the recent conflict between India and Pakistan.

According to the Afghan foreign ministry spokesperson, Muttaqi described India as “a key regional country” and underscored the historic nature of Afghanistan-India ties, expressing hope that the relationship would continue to strengthen.

He “also reiterated Afghanistan’s commitment to a balanced foreign policy and the pursuit of constructive relations with all nations.”

Muttaqi raised the issue of expanding visa access for Afghan traders and patients, and called for the release and repatriation of Afghan nationals currently imprisoned in India.

In response, Jaishankar “assured” Muttaqi that the matter of Afghan prisoners would receive prompt attention and promised to ease the visa process, the Afghan statement said.

Both sides also reaffirmed their commitment to further developing the Chabahar port in Iran.

Incidentally, on the same day that Afghanistan firmly rejected Pakistan’s claim about an Indian missile attack, Muttaqi held a trilateral meeting with Pakistan’s special envoy for Afghanistan, Mohammad Sadiq Khan, and China’s special representative, Yue Xiaoyong.

While India, aligning with the international community, does not formally recognise the Taliban government, its engagement with it has steadily grown, especially as Kabul’s relations with Islamabad have deteriorated.

Indian officials had visited Kabul and held meetings on the sidelines of a regional summit, while Afghan diplomatic missions were allowed to be operated by Taliban-aligned diplomats.

The last high-level meeting between India and Pakistan was when foreign secretary Vikram Misri met the Taliban acting foreign minister in Doha in January 2025.

That took place two weeks after Pakistan conducted airstrikes in Afghanistan to target hideouts of the Tehreek-i-Taliban Pakistan.

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