New Delhi: In a significant development, Indian foreign secretary Vikram Misri met acting Afghan foreign minister Mawlawi Amir Khan Muttaqi in Dubai on Wednesday (January 8), marking India’s highest-level engagement with Kabul to date and taking place at a time when the Taliban regime’s relations with neighbouring Pakistan are possibly at their lowest.
While India, aligning with the international community, does not formally recognise the Taliban government, its engagement has steadily grown through visits to Kabul, meetings during regional summits and the presence of Taliban-aligned appointees in Afghanistan’s diplomatic missions here.
Until now, discussions had been limited to senior Indian government officials. The last bilateral meeting occurred in November, when Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) joint secretary J.P. Singh visited Kabul to meet both the foreign and defence ministers of the Afghan government.
Foreign Secy @VikramMisri met Acting Foreign Minister of Afghanistan Mawlawi Amir Khan Muttaqi in Dubai today.
Both sides discussed 🇮🇳’s ongoing humanitarian assistance to Afghanistan, bilateral issues and security situation in the region. India reiterated its commitment to… pic.twitter.com/a3UyuIqkAG
— Randhir Jaiswal (@MEAIndia) January 8, 2025
Therefore, the foreign secretary’s direct interaction with the Taliban foreign minister represents a significant step forward in bilateral interaction.
Misri highlighted the “historic friendship” and “strong people-to-people contacts” between the two countries, while the Afghan foreign minister expressed the Taliban’s desire to develop political and economic relations with India, describing it as “an important and economically significant country in the region”.
آقای متقی از کمک‌های بشردوستانهٔ هند سپاس‌گزاری نمود و افزود که مبتنی بر سیاست خارجی متوازن و اقتصادمحور خویش می‌خواهیم با هند به عنوان کشوری مهم و اقتصادی منطقه روابط سیاسی و اقتصادی خویش را تقویت کنیم.
وزیر امور خارجه همچنان به جانب هندی اطمینان داد که از افغانستان به هیچ جانب
Advertisement— Hafiz Zia Ahmad (@HafizZiaAhmad) January 8, 2025
The Indian diplomat expressed India’s interest in addressing Afghanistan’s urgent developmental needs, with the MEA’s readout stating that due to the “current need”, India would “consider engaging” in development projects in Afghanistan.
The deputy spokesperson for the Taliban foreign ministry posted on X that the Indian side had conveyed its intention to “cooperate with Afghanistan in implementing infrastructure projects”.
India had several development projects underway in Afghanistan during the Islamic Republic era, but these stalled after the Taliban took over in August 2021. Gradual engagement has resumed, with The Wire reporting last year that Indian public sector technicians had inspected the Salma Dam, built by India, for the first time under the Taliban regime.
India’s involvement over the last three years has primarily focused on humanitarian assistance. The stationing of a technical team of diplomats in Kabul, functioning as a de facto diplomatic mission, was justified publicly as facilitating aid. It is anticipated that India may upgrade its presence in Kabul soon.
The Indian readout stated that India would also offer additional material support in the health sector and assist with the rehabilitation of Afghan refugees deported by Pakistan. Both sides also agreed to promote the “use of Chabahar port for supporting trade and commercial activities, including for the purpose of humanitarian assistance for Afghanistan.”
Cooperation in supporting cricket, with the Afghan cricket team continuing to be a unifying symbol in Afghanistan, was also discussed, as per MEA.
The Indian press statement noted that the “Afghan side underlined its sensitivities to India’s security concerns”.
The Afghan foreign ministry also highlighted that there was no cause for concern for India and, in the same breath, reiterated that India should relax its visa restrictions.
“The foreign minister also assured the Indian side that there is no danger to anyone from Afghanistan and expressed his hope to enhance diplomatic relations by facilitating visas for businessmen, patients and students”, posted the Afghan spokesperson.
India had cancelled visas for Afghan nationals immediately after the Taliban’s takeover of Kabul, and the Indian embassy was evacuated in August 2021. Since then, Afghan students who had been admitted to Indian educational institutions have particularly urged New Delhi to be more accommodating in granting visas, enabling them to continue their studies.
The MEA readout also stated that the two sides “discussed various issues pertaining to bilateral relations as well as regional developments”, without going into details.
The growing warmth between New Delhi and Kabul is unfolding amid heightened tensions between Afghanistan and Pakistan.
While Pakistan’s establishment initially welcomed the Taliban’s takeover, its relationship with the group has soured due to rising terrorist attacks, which it attributes to the Tehreek-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) operating from Afghan soil.
Last month, Pakistan conducted airstrikes within Afghanistan, reportedly targeting TTP hideouts. India condemned the strikes on Monday, describing them as “an old practice” where Pakistan “blames its neighbours for its own internal failures”.
