Overview

• Afghan acting foreign minister Amir Khan Muttaqi departed for New Delhi on Wednesday for an eight-day trip, the first by a Taliban leader to India since 2021, his ministry said.
• Talks with External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar are planned, with a meeting with National Security Adviser Ajit Doval reported as possible during the visit.
• Discussions are expected to cover counterterrorism, trade and dry-fruit exports, health cooperation, consular services and port access, including issues linked to the Chabahar route.
• India maintains it has not recognized the Taliban government, continuing engagement through a technical mission in Kabul and ongoing humanitarian and development assistance.
• The trip follows Muttaqi’s participation in Moscow Format consultations where regional states opposed foreign military infrastructure in Afghanistan, and it was enabled by a temporary UN travel‑ban exemption that Indian sources say New Delhi sought.