New Delhi: In a historic development, Afghanistan’s acting Foreign Minister Amir Khan Muttaqi has arrived in India for a three-day official visit, marking the Taliban’s highest-level diplomatic outreach to New Delhi since its return to power in 2021. Muttaqi is scheduled to meet senior Indian officials at the Ministry of External Affairs and discuss regional security, trade connectivity through Chabahar Port, counterterrorism cooperation, and the revival of India-funded projects worth over $3 billion that were halted after 2021.
India is expected to push for a stable, inclusive Afghanistan that does not serve as a haven for anti-India terror groups like Jaish-e-Mohammad or Lashkar-e-Taiba. Sources indicate that humanitarian assistance, resumption of student visas, and intelligence coordination are also on the agenda. The visit is being seen as an attempt by New Delhi to re-establish strategic presence in Kabul after years of disengagement.
Pakistan, meanwhile, is visibly anxious. Islamabad fears that India’s growing closeness with the Taliban could erode its historical influence in Afghanistan and limit its use of Afghan soil as a diplomatic or security buffer. Pakistan’s military establishment reportedly views this outreach as a strategic setback, potentially isolating it in its own neighborhood.
Donald Trump, reacting from the U.S., has voiced concern that the emerging India-Taliban alignment could undermine American leverage in South Asia, particularly around the Bagram Air Base, which the U.S. once controlled.
For India, the outcome of this visit could reshape the regional balance positioning New Delhi as a key stabilizing power in post-war Afghanistan, while testing its diplomatic skill in navigating a landscape where old allies are now uneasy observers
