Preparations are underway in New Delhi for the arrival of Afghanistan’s Foreign Minister Amir Khan Muttaqi, who is scheduled to visit the Indian capital on Thursday. Sources said that three senior officials from Kabul have already arrived in New Delhi to coordinate meetings and logistics ahead of the visit. The delegation includes representatives from Afghanistan’s trade, political, and health sectors, among them Mufti Noor Ahmad Noor, Director-General of the First Political Division in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
According to officials familiar with the visit, Muttaqi is expected to meet National Security Adviser Ajit Doval and External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar on October 10. He is also likely to hold a press conference for a selected group of journalists. Muttaqi will arrive in New Delhi from Moscow, where he attended the Moscow Format Consultations on Afghanistan on October 7.
The visit marks another step in ongoing diplomatic contacts between India and the Taliban administration, following previous meetings such as Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri’s discussion with Muttaqi in January. Recent months have also seen visits from several Afghan officials, including Deputy Minister of Medicine and Food Hamdullah Zahid, who attended a healthcare exhibition in New Delhi last month.
Officials said another senior Taliban figure involved in security and strategic affairs had also made a discreet visit to the Indian capital recently. The engagement underscores India’s continued outreach to Kabul despite the political complexities surrounding the Taliban government.
According to officials familiar with the visit, Muttaqi is expected to meet National Security Adviser Ajit Doval and External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar on October 10. He is also likely to hold a press conference for a selected group of journalists. Muttaqi will arrive in New Delhi from Moscow, where he attended the Moscow Format Consultations on Afghanistan on October 7.
The visit marks another step in ongoing diplomatic contacts between India and the Taliban administration, following previous meetings such as Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri’s discussion with Muttaqi in January. Recent months have also seen visits from several Afghan officials, including Deputy Minister of Medicine and Food Hamdullah Zahid, who attended a healthcare exhibition in New Delhi last month.
Officials said another senior Taliban figure involved in security and strategic affairs had also made a discreet visit to the Indian capital recently. The engagement underscores India’s continued outreach to Kabul despite the political complexities surrounding the Taliban government.
