Kabul/New Delhi: Taliban Foreign Minister Amir Khan Muttaqi met with top Indian official Anand Prakash in Kabul on Sunday and called on New Delhi to resume issuing visas for Afghan traders, students, and patients, according to a Taliban statement.
Prakash, who is Joint Secretary (Pakistan, Afghanistan, Iran Division) in the MEA, met with Muttaqi, according to a statement released by the Taliban’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
During the meeting, Muttaqi emphasised the need to expand diplomatic and economic relations between the two sides, highlighting new opportunities for investment in Afghanistan.
He urged Indian investors to take advantage of emerging projects and encouraged both countries to facilitate travel by restoring normal visa issuance procedures, especially for businesspeople, patients, and students.
The two sides also discussed bilateral political ties, trade, transit issues, and recent regional political developments, according to the Taliban statement.
In response, Prakash is reported to have said that relations with Afghanistan remain important for India and expressed hope that cooperation between the two countries would expand across multiple sectors.
He also reiterated India’s willingness to continue humanitarian and development assistance, including the revival of some infrastructure projects that had been paused after the Taliban’s return to power.
The visit of India’s Special Envoy to Kabul comes at a time when, due to escalating security tensions between New Delhi and Islamabad, the Attari–Wagah border crossing for Afghan commercial goods bound for India has been closed.
The meeting between the two sides also comes a few days after India sent a consignment of medicines to Kabul, as part of its development assistance.
Earlier this year, Indian Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri had met with the Taliban Foreign Minister in Dubai, in what was the highest level meeting between the two sides. While India has not formally recognised the Taliban regime, New Delhi continues to send assistance in the form of vaccines, food, medicines, and other needful material.
Ties between India and the Taliban regime in Kabul are marked by warmth, and mutual regard, in contrast to the worsening and fraught ties between Kabul and Islamabad. Pakistan blames Afghanistan for allowing the Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan terror group to shelter in the border areas and launch attacks on the Pakistani armed forces.
India maintains a diplomatic presence through a technical mission in Kabul, and has not formally reopened its embassy.
UNI
