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S Jaishankar held a cellphone name with Taliban’s International Minister Amir Khan Muttaqi
This marks India’s first ministerial-level outreach to the Taliban regime.
Dr Jaishankar appreciated Taliban’s condemnation of the Pahalgam terror assault.
New Delhi:
Scripting a brand new chapter in regional dynamics, Exterior Affairs Minister S Jaishankar on Thursday spoke with the Taliban’s performing International Minister Amir Khan Muttaqi over an official cellphone name. The decision assumes significance as it’s the first ministerial-level outreach by India to Afghanistan’s Taliban administration.
Dr Jaishankar’s name to Mr Muttaqi comes days after Afghanistan’s Taliban regime, which New Delhi is but to formally recognise, condemned the Pahalgam terror assault, through which 26 civilians, all vacationers, had been killed by Pakistan-linked terrorists in a religiously-motivated assault in Jammu and Kashmir.
‘MINISTERIAL-LEVEL TALKS – A FIRST WITH TALIBAN’
In a publish on social media platform X shortly after the cellphone name, Dr Jaishankar wrote, “Good dialog with Appearing Afghan International Minister Mawlawi Amir Khan Muttaqi this night. Deeply admire his condemnation of the Pahalgam terrorist assault.” He added that throughout the dialogue he “underlined our (India’s) conventional friendship with the Afghan folks and persevering with help for his or her improvement wants. Mentioned methods and technique of taking cooperation ahead.”
‘A REBUTTAL TO PAKISTAN’
Countering Pakistan’s false narrative of linking the Taliban to the incidents in Jammu and Kashmir and India’s response to it, Dr Jaishankar wrote that he welcomed Mr Muttaqi’s “agency rejection of current makes an attempt to create mistrust between India and Afghanistan by way of false and baseless experiences” within the Pakistani media.
Good dialog with Appearing Afghan International Minister Mawlawi Amir Khan Muttaqi this night.
Deeply admire his condemnation of the Pahalgam terrorist assault.
Welcomed his agency rejection of current makes an attempt to create mistrust between India and Afghanistan by way of false and…
— Dr. S. Jaishankar (@DrSJaishankar) May 15, 2025
‘IMPORTANCE OF IRAN’S CHABAHAR PORT’
In response to Taliban’s Director of Communication Hafiz Zia Ahmad, throughout the name, Mr Muttaqi requested Dr Jaishankar to supply extra visas to Afghan nationals, particularly to these looking for medical consideration. He additionally talked about that bilateral commerce, launch and return of Afghan prisoners in Indian jails, and improvement of the Chabahar Port in Iran had been mentioned.
The senior Taliban official shared a collection of posts within the Pashto language, which broadly listed what was mentioned between the 2 ministers.
د ا.ا.ا. د بهرنیو چارو وزیر محترم مولوي امیر خان متقي او د هند جمهوریت د بهرنیو چارو وزیر ښاغلي جې شنکر ټيلیفوني خبرې وکړې.
په دې مکالمه کې د دوو اړخیزو اړیکو پر پیاوړتیا، تجارت او د دیپلوماتیکو اړیکو د کچې پر لوړولو خبرې وشوې. pic.twitter.com/weErRrvARu— Hafiz Zia Ahmad (@HafizZiaAhmad) May 15, 2025
او ناروغانو ته د هند د ویزو په ورکړه کې د اسانتیاوو او په هند کې د افغان بندیانو د خلاصېدو او هیواد ته د راستنولو غوښتنه وکړه.
د هند د بهرنیو چارو وزیر ښاغلي جې شنکر هم له افغانستان سره د هند اړیکې تاریخي وبللې او زیاته یې کړه، چې هېواد به يې له افغانستان سره خپلو همکاریو ته…
— Hafiz Zia Ahmad (@HafizZiaAhmad) May 15, 2025
Dialogue on Chabahar Port assumes significance at a time when India and Pakistan have fully ended all commerce ties and closed its border posts within the wake of the Pahalgam terror assault. Being a land-locked nation, Afghanistan feels the impression, because it is dependent upon land routes through Pakistan to achieve India.
India and Afghanistan share a land border too, however that has remained cut-off by Pakistan-occupied Kashmir or PoK since 1947. The one different possibility for commerce is through the Chabahar Port in Iran.
‘FOSTERING TIES WITH THE TALIBAN’
India and the Taliban administration have been taking steps to strengthen ties since August 2021, when the regime got here to energy after US’ withdrawal from Afghanistan. Over time, a collection of conferences between Indian diplomats and Taliban officers have labored in the direction of broader cooperation between the 2 international locations which have shared historic ties.
Although ties haven’t but normalised, India’s coverage in the direction of Afghanistan beneath the Taliban regime has been centered on offering humanitarian help and the well-being of Afghan residents. Diplomatic initiatives have additionally been ongoing in the direction of bringing normalcy to ties.
As lately as April 27 this yr, days after the Pahalgam terror assault, senior Indian diplomat Anand Prakash visited Kabul as tensions peaked between New Delhi and Islamabad over “cross-border terror hyperlinks”. Mr Prakash held a gathering with Mr Muttaqi throughout the go to.
‘DIPLOMATIC ENGAGEMENTS’
Different key visits by senior Indian diplomats embrace these by Mr JP Singh, who visited Afghanistan twice final yr – in March to satisfy performing international minister Amir Khan Muttaqi, and in November to satisfy the performing defence minister Mohammad Yaqub Mujahid. Each conferences occurred in Kabul.
In addition to the conferences in Afghanistan, a high-level assembly additionally occurred in Dubai in January this yr, when international secretary Vikram Misri, together with an Indian delegation met Taliban’s performing international minister Amir Khan Muttaqi and an Afghan delegation. The 2 leaders held wide-ranging bilateral talks, together with on Chabahar Port.
The assembly in Dubai was geared toward bolstering cooperation over humanitarian help, developmental help, commerce, commerce, sports activities, cultural ties, regional safety, and initiatives of nationwide curiosity.
‘CONFIDENCE-BUILDING MEASURES’
In current instances, the Authorities of India has additionally permitted the Taliban to progressively take management of the Afghan missions in New Delhi, Mumbai, and Hyderabad so as to present consular companies to its nationals in India and help these coming from Afghanistan to India on enterprise or to check, or get medical care.
By way of humanitarian help, New Delhi had, until December 2024, dispatched a number of shipments consisting of greater than 50,000 metric tonnes of wheat, 300 tonnes of medicines, 27 tonnes of earthquake aid help, 40,000 litres of pesticides, 100 million polio doses, 1.5 million doses of the Covid vaccine, 11,000 models of hygiene kits for the drug de-addiction programme, 500 models of winter clothes and 1.2 tonnes of stationery kits, over the previous few years.