India’s Pragmatic Afghan Gamble

Afghan Foreign Minister Amir Khan Muttaqi’s visit to India highlights Delhi’s sensible engagement with the Taliban, balancing counter-terrorism concerns, regional rivalry, and humanitarian interests

- PRABHU DAYAL

New Delhi will weigh security and diplomacy as it hosts the Taliban minister for key talks

Amir Khan Muttagi, the Afghan Foreign Minister, is expected to visit India next week, around October 9-10, 2025. The upcoming visit is highly significant as it will be the first ministerial-level meeting between the Taliban government and India since the Taliban's takeover of Afghanistan in 2021. The visit is also clubbed with his visit to Russia for the Moscow Format talks on Afghanistan.

India does not officially recognise the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan or the Taliban government but has pragmatically engaged with Kabul since 2021 for humanitarian aid, trade facilitation, and increased diplomatic contacts. In January 2025, Indian Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri met with Muttaqi in Dubai. This was followed by a phone conversation between Indian External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar and Muttaqi in May 2025.

Muttagi, like other senior Taliban leaders, is subject to a UN travel ban. India secured a waiver from the UN Security Council’s 1988 Sanctions Committee to allow the visit. This was a critical step in enabling the meeting to take place.

‘The significance of the visit lies in several key areas:

Strengthening diplomatic ties: The meeting marks a key moment in the improvement, though unofficial, relationship between India and the Taliban-led administration. India has been cautiously increasing its engagement with the Taliban, and this high-level visit represents a major step toward normalising relations.