Overview

• After criticism over excluding women from a first briefing, Taliban foreign minister Amir Khan Muttaqi held a second press conference in Delhi that included women and called the earlier move a technical error.
• India’s Ministry of External Affairs said it had no role in organizing the initial press interaction, which had drawn condemnation from opposition leaders and journalist associations.
• Taliban delegates installed the Islamic Emirate flag inside the Afghan embassy venue and publicly claimed control, while Republic-era staff kept their tricolour on the main pole and reported intimidation and fear for families.
• Following meetings with Subrahmanyam Jaishankar, India signalled it will upgrade its technical mission in Kabul to a full embassy and reopen its diplomatic presence, even as formal recognition remains off the table.
• The visit coincided with heavy fighting on the Pakistan–Afghanistan border, with Kabul and Islamabad issuing sharply conflicting casualty claims; Taliban officials also pitched Indian investment in mining, infrastructure and healthcare.