New Delhi: For the first time, a Taliban leader will travel to India after the United Nations Security Council's sanctions committee cleared Afghan foreign minister Amir Khan Muttaqi's visit for five days next week.

The Wire had reported in August that India was preparing for the first ministerial-level visit from Afghanistan since the Taliban seized power four years ago. At that time, dates for Muttaqi's trip to India were being finalised, after which New Delhi was planning to move the Security Council for a travel waiver.

India had made no outreach to the Taliban during their first stint in power from 1996 to 2001, making this the first-ever visit by a Taliban leader to New Delhi.

According to the Security Council's 1988 Sanctions Committee, the waiver will allow Muttaqi to travel to New Delhi from October 9 to 16. The approval was granted on September 30 after India submitted a request under the travel exemption mechanism provided for Taliban officials listed under the sanctions regime.

The committee's website shows that the exemption covers travel, transit and stay in India during the approved dates. As per the rules, member states hosting the listed individual are required to ensure that the exemption is used strictly for the purpose requested and that the person returns to Afghanistan once the waiver period ends.

Under Security Council resolution 1988, Taliban-linked individuals face a travel ban, asset freeze and arms embargo. Exceptions can be granted, but only by consensus of all 15 council members. The panel is currently chaired by Pakistan, though all decisions are taken by consensus and any member can block a request.

In August, Muttaqi's planned visit to Pakistan was cancelled after the sanctions committee refused clearance, with Pakistani media reporting that the United States had opposed the exemption. Washington's stance has hardened since the start of Donald Trump's second presidential term, while regional powers have expanded engagement with Kabul.

When the Taliban took control of Afghanistan in August 2021, India evacuated its embassy in Kabul and cancelled visas for Afghan nationals. Less than a year later, however, New Delhi stationed a “technical team” in Kabul to function as its de facto mission. Since then, Indian officials have visited routinely and held meetings with Taliban representatives at regional forums.

India's contacts with the Taliban have gradually widened over the past three years. In May, external affairs minister S. Jaishankar spoke to Muttaqi by phone, less than a week after India and Pakistan ended their four-day military clash.

Earlier, in January, Indian foreign secretary Vikram Misri had met with Muttaqi in Doha.

Though India has not recognised the Taliban administration, Afghan diplomatic missions in India are now staffed by Taliban-appointed officials. Engagement has also covered issues such as visa access for Afghan traders and patients, and the repatriation of Afghan nationals detained in India.

New Delhi's outreach has unfolded against the backdrop of strained Kabul-Islamabad relations, with Pakistan accusing the Taliban of sheltering the Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP).

Relations have eased slightly in recent months, with Beijing positioning itself as a mediator. Five days after his call with Jaishankar, Muttaqi joined his Chinese and Pakistani counterparts in Beijing, where China announced plans to extend the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor to Afghanistan.

But tensions between Islamabad and Kabul remain sharp. In September, Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif publicly warned the Taliban leadership to “choose between Pakistan and the TTP”, accusing militants who cross over from Afghanistan of carrying out deadly attacks inside Pakistan.

The Afghan interim government rejected the criticism, insisting it would not allow its soil to be used for cross-border aggression.

At the same time, the Taliban has appreciated the joint regional calls against the return of foreign military bases in Afghanistan. On the sidelines of the UN General Assembly, China, Russia, Iran and Pakistan issued a joint statement that Afghanistan's sovereignty and independence be respected. The declaration followed comments by Trump that Washington wanted the Bagram air base in Afghanistan “back”.

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