Afghanistan and India officially restored diplomatic relations on Friday following a historic visit by Afghan Foreign Minister Amir Khan Muttaqi — the first by an Afghan official to India since the Taliban regained power in 2021.
Muttaqi met with Indian External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar in New Delhi, where Jaishankar announced that India would reopen its embassy in Kabul, which had been closed since the Taliban takeover. In return, Muttaqi confirmed that Kabul would soon send its own diplomats to the Afghan embassy in New Delhi, signaling that the mission will once again come under the control of the Afghan government.
Muttaqi’s visit, which will last seven days, is part of Kabul’s broader effort to end its diplomatic isolation and re-establish ties with regional powers. While India had previously handed over control of Afghan consulates in Mumbai and Hyderabad, the main embassy in New Delhi had remained closed since 2023. Muttaqi’s meetings appear to have paved the way for a formal reopening.
Until now, India was the only major country in the region without active diplomatic relations with the Taliban-led government, officially known as the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan (IEA). Although only Russia has formally recognized the IEA, all of Afghanistan’s immediate neighbors — including Iran, Pakistan, China, and the Central Asian republics — have established working relations with Kabul.
India’s decision to pursue rapprochement with Afghanistan comes amid growing Chinese influence in the country. Beijing recently announced an expansion of its Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) through Afghanistan, including projects extending via the Kashmir region, heightening India’s strategic concerns.
Muttaqi’s arrival in India also coincided with a wave of Pakistani airstrikes across Afghanistan targeting the Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP), also known as the Pakistani Taliban, including an alleged strike on the group’s leadership in Kabul.
While India’s move falls short of full diplomatic recognition — something the Taliban continues to seek — it nonetheless represents a significant breakthrough for Kabul and a step toward its gradual reintegration into regional diplomacy.