India has announced that it will reopen its embassy in Kabul, which was closed after the Taliban seized power in Afghanistan in 2021. The announcement marks a significant improvement in India’s relations with the Taliban administration and provides a diplomatic boost to the internationally isolated group.
India’s Foreign Minister stated that the Afghan Taliban administration will also send diplomats to New Delhi. India had shut down its embassy in Kabul following the withdrawal of US-led NATO forces four years ago, though it launched a limited operation in 2022 to support trade, medical aid, and humanitarian assistance.
Currently, only a few countries — including China, Russia, Iran, Pakistan, and Turkey — operate embassies in Kabul. Of these, Russia is the only country to officially recognize the Taliban administration. Taliban leaders remain under UN sanctions, including a travel ban and asset freeze.
India’s decision was announced during talks in New Delhi between Foreign Minister Subrahmanyam Jaishankar and Taliban Foreign Minister Amir Khan Muttahida, who is on a six-day visit to India after receiving a temporary exemption from the travel ban. This marks the first visit by a Taliban leader to India since 2021.
India and Afghanistan have traditionally maintained close ties, though New Delhi does not formally recognize the Taliban government. According to Harsh Pant, head of foreign policy at the Observer Research Foundation, both sides are recalibrating their relationship amid strained ties with Pakistan and growing concerns in New Delhi over China’s expanding influence in Afghanistan.
