Afghan Taliban FM to visit India after UNSC eases travel ban

The UN Security Council has granted temporary travel relief to Afghanistan’s Taliban foreign minister, enabling his visit to India from October 9 to 16, New Delhi confirmed on Friday.

If confirmed, it would be the first visit to India by a senior leader of the Taliban-run Afghan administration since it seized power in 2021 after 20 years of US military presence.

Delhi and Kabul have traditionally enjoyed close ties when the Taliban were not in power.

Foreign Minister Amir Khan Muttaqi is among Afghan Taliban members who are under UN sanctions, including a travel ban and asset freeze. Temporary exemptions are sometimes granted for diplomacy.

India's foreign ministry spokesperson told reporters that New Delhi had already been speaking to the Afghan administration, and noted that it had provided support after an earthquake on August 31. He did not specifically confirm that the visit would take place.

Discussions during Muttaqi's trip would centre around bilateral cooperation, trade exchanges, exports of dry fruit, facilities in the health sector, consular services and various ports, said Zia Ahmad Takal, deputy spokesperson of the Afghan Taliban's foreign ministry.

He did not, however, mention the dates of the visit.

Indian and Afghan media have reported that Muttaqi would travel to Russia before visiting New Delhi.

In Moscow, he was expected to discuss the situation in Afghanistan with representatives from Russia, China, Iran, Pakistan, India, and Central Asian countries, the reports said.

Hekmatullah Hekmat, an Afghan political analyst, said the visit to India was highly significant for the Taliban government.

"Afghanistan is in dire need of establishing relations with regional countries, especially its neighbours. It needs to build political, economic, and trade ties and to gain recognition," he said.

Only Russia has so far recognised the Taliban government. India closed its embassy in Kabul in 2021, but a year later opened a technical mission to coordinate humanitarian assistance.