https://sputniknews.in/20250428/india-taliban-bolster-ties-amid-pakistan-tensions-9035739.html
India, Taliban Bolster Ties Amid Pakistan Tensions
India, Taliban Bolster Ties Amid Pakistan Tensions
Sputnik India
Senior Indian diplomat Anand Prakash, Secretary at Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) incharge of the PAI (Pakistan, Afghanistan and India Division), met Acting Afghan Foreign Minister Amir Khan Muttaqi in Kabul on Sunday.
2025-04-28T15:52+0530
2025-04-28T15:52+0530
2025-04-28T15:54+0530
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India has told the Taliban* authorities that it would "revive initiatives that have been stagnant" in Afghanistan, while also "affirming" India's commitment to ongoing collaboration with the country, according to a readout from the interim Afghan government.Bilateral political ties, trade, transit, and "recent regional political advancements" were also discussed at the Sunday's meeting.Between 2001 and 2021, India was the largest regional donor to Afghanistan, with total aid exceeding $3 billion. India funded over 500 projects in sectors such as power, water supply, road connectivity, healthcare, education, agriculture, and capacity building across all 34 provinces of Afghanistan.Since the Taliban's return to power in August 2021, India-Afghanistan development cooperation has faced significant roadblocks. However, India has continued to provide humanitarian assistance, delivering 27 tonnes of relief material, 50,000 tonnes of wheat, 40,000 litres of pesticides, and more than 300 tonnes of medicines and medical equipment to Afghanistan, according to official statements from the Indian government.Muttaqi also called on India to bolster mobility between India and Afghanistan, including the restoration of the normal visa regime for Afghan patients, students, and businessmen.The significant meeting took place against the backdrop of ongoing diplomatic and military tensions between India and Pakistan following the Pahalgam terrorist attack on 22 April.Pakistan's National Security Council (NSC) announced last week that it has suspended "all cross-border transit" through the Wagah-Attari Integrated Check Post (ICP), impacting the overland trade route between India and Afghanistan. However, India has started to increasingly route its trade and humanitarian aid to Afghanistan through the Iranian port of Chabahar in recent years.In January, Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri became the highest-ranking Indian official to meet Muttaqi since the Taliban takeover.On 19 April, Pakistan's Foreign Minister and Deputy Prime Minister Ishaq Dar visited Kabul for talks with Muttaqi in an effort to ease tensions between the two neighbours. Dar was the highest-ranking Pakistani official to visit Afghanistan since February 2023, amid border skirmishes, allegations of Afghanistan harbouring terrorists, and Pakistan's move to expel Afghan refugees.*under UN sanctions
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India, Taliban Bolster Ties Amid Pakistan Tensions
15:52 28.04.2025 (Updated: 15:54 28.04.2025) Senior Indian diplomat Anand Prakash, Secretary at Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) incharge of the PAI (Pakistan, Afghanistan and India Division), met Acting Afghan Foreign Minister Amir Khan Muttaqi in Kabul on Sunday.
India has told the Taliban* authorities that it would "revive initiatives that have been stagnant" in Afghanistan, while also "affirming" India's commitment to ongoing collaboration with the country, according to a readout from the interim Afghan government.
Afghanistan's Acting Foreign Minister Amir Khan Muttaqi underscored the importance of "nurturing diplomatic and economic relations" with India, the statement said. Further, Muttaqi urged the Indian investors to "capitalise" on favourable investment opportunities currently available in Afghanistan.
Bilateral political ties, trade, transit, and "
recent regional political advancements" were also discussed at the Sunday's meeting.
"We are open to resume investment cooperation with India as we are open to welcome investment from other regional countries," Suhail Shaheen, Head of the Taliban's Political Office in Doha, told Sputnik India on Monday.
Between 2001 and 2021, India was the largest regional donor to Afghanistan, with total aid exceeding $3 billion. India funded over 500 projects in sectors such as power, water supply, road connectivity, healthcare, education, agriculture, and capacity building across all 34 provinces of Afghanistan.
Since the Taliban's return to power in August 2021, India-Afghanistan development cooperation has faced significant roadblocks. However, India has continued to provide humanitarian assistance, delivering 27 tonnes of relief material, 50,000 tonnes of wheat, 40,000 litres of pesticides, and more than 300 tonnes of medicines and medical equipment to Afghanistan, according to official statements from the Indian government.
"Mr Anand Prakash expressed the significance of Afghanistan in India’s diplomatic landscape, expressing a desire to broaden relations across multiple sectors," the Afghan statement read.
Muttaqi also called on India to bolster mobility between India and Afghanistan, including the restoration of the normal visa regime for Afghan patients, students, and businessmen.
"Towards the end of the meeting, both parties emphasised the necessity of fostering relationships, promoting delegation exchanges, streamlining visa processes, and bolstering bilateral cooperation," the statement noted.
The significant meeting took place against the backdrop of ongoing diplomatic and military tensions between India and Pakistan following the Pahalgam terrorist attack on 22 April.
Pakistan's National Security Council (NSC) announced last week that it has suspended "all cross-border transit" through the Wagah-Attari Integrated Check Post (ICP), impacting the overland trade route between India and Afghanistan. However, India has started to increasingly route its trade and humanitarian aid to Afghanistan through the
Iranian port of Chabahar in recent years.
In January, Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri became the highest-ranking Indian official to meet Muttaqi since the Taliban takeover.
"In view of the current need for development activities, it was decided that India would consider engaging in development projects in the near future, in addition to the ongoing humanitarian assistance programme," an MEA readout said at the time.
On 19 April, Pakistan's Foreign Minister and Deputy Prime Minister Ishaq Dar visited Kabul for talks with Muttaqi in an effort to ease tensions between the two neighbours. Dar was the highest-ranking Pakistani official to visit Afghanistan since February 2023, amid border skirmishes, allegations of Afghanistan harbouring terrorists, and Pakistan's move to expel Afghan refugees.
