In a first, foreign secretary meets minister from Afghanistan’s Taliban regime

Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri on Wednesday met Mawlawi Amir Khan Muttaqi, the acting foreign minister of Afghanistan’s Taliban government in Dubai.

This was the highest-ranking meeting between the two sides since the Taliban retook power in Afghanistan in August 2021.

Misri conveyed India’s readiness to respond to the urgent developmental needs of the Afghan people, the Ministry of External Affairs stated.

The Afghan delegation “underlined its sensitivities to India’s security concerns”, the ministry said.

New Delhi has not officially recognised the Taliban government in Afghanistan. However, the Indian government has allowed the Taliban to appoint a new consul general in Mumbai.

India closed its embassy in Kabul after the insurgent group seized power in Afghanistan in August 2021 as the United States forces left the country following a 20-year conflict. However, in June 2022, India deployed a technical team at its embassy in Kabul “for the effective delivery of humanitarian assistance and in continuation of our engagement with the Afghan people”.

In November, Joint Secretary JP Singh, who manages the Pakistan, Iran and Afghanistan desks, held discussions with representatives of the Taliban and met the regime’s acting Defence Minister Mullah Yaqoob. Singh had also met Muttaqi in March.

On Wednesday, the two sides discussed India’s ongoing humanitarian assistance programmes in Afghanistan. It was decided that India “would consider engaging in development projects…

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