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.
"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.
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.