Kabul/New Delhi, Jan 13 (EFE).- Afghanistan’s de facto Taliban government appointed its first diplomatic representative to India since returning to power in 2021, in a further step in the gradual rapprochement between Kabul and New Delhi, even though the Indian government has not yet formally recognized the Islamist regime.
The meeting was confirmed to EFE on Tuesday by Hafiz Zia Ahmad Takel, deputy spokesman for the Taliban government’s foreign ministry, after the Afghan mission itself released the information on Monday in an official profile opened this month on the social network X.
The Taliban diplomatic corps indicated that Mufti Noor Ahmad Noor assumed the post of chargé d’affaires at the Afghan embassy in India and published a photograph of the diplomat alongside an Indian official after their first official meeting.
“During the meeting, detailed discussions were held on bilateral political and economic relations, the expansion of trade, facilitation of visa processes, and issues faced by Afghan traders, students, and Afghan nationals residing in India,” the embassy wrote on X.
“Both sides emphasized the importance of strengthening Afghanistan–India relations and expanding bilateral cooperation and engagement.”
The appointment comes after Taliban Foreign Minister Amir Khan Muttaqi made an official visit to India in October, the first of its kind since the fall of the previous Afghan government, a move that marked a turning point in relations between the two countries after years of limited contact.
The Afghan embassy in New Delhi had remained in a state of diplomatic limbo for more than two years. Following the collapse of the Islamic Republic’s government in August 2021, the mission was left in the hands of diplomats appointed by the ousted administration, while India avoided allowing the Taliban to assume control.
An initial attempt by the Islamist regime to appoint a chargé d’affaires in April 2023 failed when the diplomat it sent was rejected by embassy staff and denied access to the building, reflecting New Delhi’s caution regarding any gesture that could be interpreted as recognition.
The move comes amid one of the most significant deteriorations in relations between Afghanistan and Pakistan in recent years. Pakistan is a traditional ally of the Taliban and a strategic rival of India.
For the Taliban, the reopening of their diplomatic missions abroad is part of a broader strategy to break their international isolation and gain legitimacy.
So far, Russia is the only country that has formally recognized the Taliban government. EFE
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