(MENAFN- Live Mint) Afghanistan's Acting Foreign Minister Amir Khan Muttaqi will arrive in India today after the UN Security Council's Taliban Sanctions Committee approved an exemption to the travel ban imposed on the Taliban leader.

Muttaqi's visit to India at the invitation of the Foreign Minister S Jaishanka would be the first ministerial visit from Kabul to New Delhi after the Taliban seized power in Afghanistan in August 2021.

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Muttaqi will be in India until 16 October. His visit coincides with the visit to India of UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer, accompanied by the largest-ever British trade delegation, for talks with Prime Minister Narendra Modi. The two Prime Ministers will meet in Mumbai today.

While Muttaqi's meeting with Prime Minister Narendra Modi is not confirmed, he would be accorded full protocol as a visiting Foreign Minister, including being hosted by the government.

Discussions will centre on bilateral cooperation, trade exchanges, exports of dry fruits, facilities in the health sector, consular services, and various ports, according to a Reuters report.

Hafiz Zia Ahmad Takal, Deputy Spokesman for the Afghan Taliban's Foreign Ministry , stated that Muttaqi is scheduled to meet his Indian counterpart, S. Jaishankar, along with several officials, to discuss political, economic, trade, and other matters related to expanding ties between Kabul and New Delhi.

Upgrading diplomatic relations to full embassies

Muttaqi arrives from Moscow, where he attended the Russia-led“Moscow Format” dialogue on Afghanistan.

During his week-long stay in India, Muttaqi is also expected to meet with several officials and interact with business groups and Afghan nationals residing in India. He may also meet National Security Advisor (NSA) Ajit Doval during his visit, according to some reports.

Discussions during Muttaqi's visit are expected to focus on upgrading diplomatic relations to full embassies and expanding consular services between Afghanistan and India. The discussion would also include the upgradation of the Indian embassy in Kabul.

Why is Muttaqi's visit to India significant?

Muttaqi's trip highlights Taliban efforts to expand engagement with regional powers in a quest for economic ties and eventual diplomatic recognition. So far, Russia is the only country to have formally recognised the Taliban administration.

India has not yet recognised the Taliban set up and has been pitching for the formation of a truly inclusive government in Kabul.

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However, New Delhi's increasing engagement with the Taliban comes at a time when the group's political dominance in Afghanistan has become more evident, with a growing number of countries establishing channels of communication with them. The rise of terror concerns and the emergence of other security threats in Afghanistan have made such engagement a strategic necessity for India

The visit marks a significant moment in India's cautious outreach to Kabul's new rulers. New Delhi has also been insisting that Afghan soil must not be used for any terrorist activities against any country.

Travel Ban Exempted

Muttaqi was listed by the UN Security Council on January 25, 2001, and was subject to a travel ban, asset freeze, and arms embargo. However, the Security Council Committee, on 30 September 2025,“approved an exemption to the travel ban for Amir Khan Muttaqi to visit New Delhi, India, from October 9 to 16, 2025,” according to information on the Sanctions Committee's website .

The Committee comprises all 15 members of the UN Security Council and makes its decision by consensus. The 1988 Taliban Sanctions Committee is currently chaired by Pakistan. The two Vice-Chairs for 2025 are Guyana and Russia.

'Good conversation' with Muttaqi

In May this year, Jaishankar had said he had a 'good conversation' with Muttaqi over the phone and 'deeply appreciated his condemnation of the Pahalgam terrorist attack .' Jaishankar had thanked the Taliban leader for condemning the 22 April Pahalgam terror attack.

Jaishankar had then 'welcomed' his firm rejection of recent attempts to create distrust between India and Afghanistan through false and baseless reports. Underlined our traditional friendship with the Afghan people and our continuing support for their development needs.

Muttaqi's planned visit to India by Muttaqi last month was cancelled after he was unable to obtain a visa waiver for the trip.

What do experts say?

Mohammad Reyaz, an expert on India–Afghanistan relations at Aliah University in Kolkata, said it was evident as early as 2010 that the Afghan Taliban was re-emerging on Afghanistan's political landscape.

“India has multiple strategic interests in Afghanistan that cannot be ignored - especially at a time when anti-Taliban factions are scattered and lack support from global powers,” he told LiveMint.

To maintain its position in Afghanistan, India is strengthening its engagement with the Taliban government , even as it gradually distances itself from its former Afghan allies, Reyaz said.

Also Read | In first since Taliban takeover, Afghan FM to visit India on Oct 9

“India's engagement with the Afghan Taliban is also tied to regional security concerns - particularly fears of Pakistan's intelligence agencies using the Taliban and other militant groups as proxies,” he said.

India's invitation to Muttaqi is a pragmatic move, given India's interests in Afghanistan, experts said. But some also warned against giving the Taliban regime full recognition until the United Nations does so.

Historical and civilisational ties

“India should await international consensus,” Vivek Katju, a former diplomat who has managed Afghanistan relations at the External Affairs in the past, told The Hindu. MEA in the past.

“Through our technical assistance mission, we have already sent extensive humanitarian assistance over the last few years. Obviously the engagement with the Taliban has become substantive and the visit of Muttaqi is a welcome step,” he was quoted as saying in the report.

India's relationship with Afghanistan has long been viewed through the lens of deep historical and civilisational ties between the two nations. However, New Delhi shut its embassy in Kabul after the 2021 US withdrawal from the war-shattered country and the return to power of the Taliban.

Since then, New Delhi has remained mindful of the security challenges emanating from its north-western frontier, experts pointed out.

“For the Taliban, engagement with India allows them to create a perception of legitimacy for their domestic constituents. Since their return to power, they have tried to pitch their approach towards foreign policy-related issues as one based on pragmatism - with its focus on a balanced and economic foreign policy,” Harsh V Pant , Vice President of think-tank ORF, wrote in a joint piece with Shivam Shekhawat, a Junior Fellow at the ORF's Strategic Studies Programme.

In June 2022, less than a year after the Taliban takeover of Kabul , India sent a 'technical team' to the Afghan capital to coordinate the delivery of humanitarian assistance and to explore how New Delhi could support the Afghan people.

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In November 2024, Foreign Ministry officials held multiple meetings with Taliban representatives, including talks with acting Taliban Defence Minister Mullah Mohammad Yaqoob. In January 2025, Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri met Taliban Foreign Minister Muttaqi in Dubai.

Regional Meeting in Moscow

India's engagement with the Afghan Taliban is also tied to regional security concerns - particularly fears of Pakistan's intelligence agencies using the Taliban and other militant groups as proxies.

Before heading to New Delhi, Muttaqi attended a regional meeting in Moscow on Tuesday. At the meeting, Afghanistan's neighbours, including India, Pakistan, Iran, China and several Central Asian countries, issued a joint statement opposing the deployment of foreign military infrastructure in the region.

The statement was regarded as a signal of opposition to US President Donald Trump's stated objective to retake control of the Bagram military base near Kabul.

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