Taliban Minister’s Visit to India Marks a Groundbreaking Shift in South Asian Diplomacy

Sadik Sagar, October 22, Dhaka.

Afghan Taliban Foreign Minister Amir Khan Muttaqi’s week-long visit to India has been described as one of the most significant diplomatic breakthroughs in South Asia since the Taliban’s return to power in 2021. The visit, once unimaginable, signals a dramatic recalibration of India’s Afghan policy and a potential reshaping of regional alliances that could reverberate from Kabul to Islamabad and beyond. Muttaqi’s arrival in New Delhi marked the Taliban’s highest-level engagement with India since the fall of Kabul. During his eight-day stay, the Afghan minister held extensive talks with Indian External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar, discussed trade and development cooperation, and met with Indian business leaders. The Indian government also announced plans to reopen its full-fledged embassy in Kabul, four years after it was shuttered amid the Taliban takeover. Delhi’s decision underscores a pragmatic shift in its foreign policy—one that prioritizes strategic interests and regional stability over ideology. For decades, India viewed the Taliban as a proxy of Pakistan and supported the Western-backed Afghan government ousted by the Taliban in 2021. The renewed engagement, therefore, represents a remarkable departure from that stance. “Closer cooperation between us contributes to your national development as well as regional stability and resilience,” Jaishankar told Muttaqi, reaffirming India’s “commitment to the sovereignty, territorial integrity, and independence of Afghanistan.” In turn, Muttaqi described India as a “close friend,” expressing optimism about “a bright future” in bilateral relations.

Although India has yet to formally recognize the Taliban government, it maintains a “technical team” in Kabul and has continued providing humanitarian aid since 2021. Analysts believe India’s engagement with the Taliban reflects a broader realignment of power and pragmatism across the region. “Both sides are demonstrating realpolitik,” observed Harsh V. Pant of the Observer Research Foundation. “India wants to secure its interests and stability in the region, while the Taliban seeks legitimacy and diversification beyond Pakistan.”

Islamabad, which long served as the Taliban’s chief patron, is watching the India-Taliban rapprochement with growing unease. Relations between Pakistan and Afghanistan have deteriorated sharply in recent months, culminating in deadly border clashes and mutual accusations of harboring militants. Pakistan’s Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif accused India of “inciting” the Taliban, while Defence Minister Khawaja Muhammad Asif went further, claiming that Kabul was “acting like a proxy of India.” These statements underscore Islamabad’s anxiety over losing influence on its once-reliable ally. Afghan analyst Wahid Faqiri told media that the Taliban’s engagement with India is “both symbolic and strategic,” sending a clear message that Afghanistan is no longer dependent on Pakistan and can pursue independent diplomacy. The timing of Muttaqi’s visit—coinciding with some of the worst fighting between Afghan and Pakistani forces in years—amplified its geopolitical significance. Recent exchanges of artillery and drone strikes along the border highlighted how the Afghanistan-Pakistan relationship has soured. Pakistan accuses the Taliban of sheltering the Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP), which has waged a deadly insurgency inside Pakistan. Over 100 Pakistani security personnel were reportedly killed in militant attacks in October alone. The Taliban deny these allegations and, in turn, accuse Pakistan of attempting to destabilize Afghanistan. Former Pakistani diplomat Maleeha Lodhi told media that Islamabad’s frustration stemmed mainly from security concerns, though she acknowledged that the Taliban minister’s India trip “was certainly an irritant.”

For India, the engagement with the Taliban is rooted in both strategy and security. New Delhi’s primary objective is to ensure Afghan soil is not used by anti-India terror groups such as al-Qaeda or Islamic State Khorasan (IS-K). During his visit, Muttaqi reiterated that Afghanistan would not allow its territory to be used for terrorism against India. Moreover, India’s outreach aligns with its broader ambitions to enhance connectivity with Iran and Central Asia, creating trade and energy corridors that bypass Pakistan. With China expanding its influence through the Belt and Road Initiative, India’s dialogue with the Taliban also serves to counter regional encirclement and maintain its foothold in Afghanistan. However, the diplomatic thaw has sparked debate at home. Critics in India have questioned the optics of hosting a Taliban delegation given the group’s human rights record and restrictions on women. The absence of women journalists during Muttaqi’s press interactions drew condemnation, though public sentiment softened when the Afghan minister expressed solidarity with India following a terrorist attack in Kashmir, which New Delhi blamed on Pakistan-backed militants. The joint statement issued after the visit referred to the disputed region as “Jammu and Kashmir, India,” a phrasing that reportedly infuriated Islamabad.

India’s decision to upgrade its mission in Kabul to a full embassy marks another step in the Taliban government’s pursuit of international legitimacy—something only Russia has formally granted so far. While full diplomatic recognition from India appears unlikely in the near term, the thaw represents a significant victory for the Taliban’s foreign policy. For Pakistan, it marks a geopolitical setback; for India, it is an opportunity to regain lost ground in Afghanistan following the U.S. withdrawal. For the Taliban, it is proof that engaging with regional powers beyond Pakistan is not only possible but beneficial. “Just four years ago, this scenario was unimaginable,” strategic analyst Brahma Chellaney told media. “Today, it marks a cautious reset in India-Taliban relations—a balancing act rooted in pragmatic engagement rather than trust.” As Muttaqi’s historic visit concluded, both Delhi and Kabul hailed it as a “new beginning.” Whether this beginning leads to genuine partnership or remains a tactical alignment remains uncertain. What is clear, however, is that the political geography of South Asia is shifting—and India’s open door to the Taliban has redrawn the region’s diplomatic map in ways few could have foreseen.