In a first ministerial level outreach to the Taliban government of Afghanistan, External Affairs Minister (EAM) S Jaishankar on Thursday spoke to their acting Foreign Minister Amir Khan Muttaqi over an official phone call.
The call came days after Afghanistan's Taliban regime, which New Delhi is yet to officially recognise, condemned the April 22 Pahalgam terror attack, in which 26 civilians were killed.
After holding the conversation, taking it to X, Jaishankar wrote, "Good conversation with Acting Afghan Foreign Minister Mawlawi Amir Khan Muttaqi this evening. Deeply appreciate his condemnation of the Pahalgam terrorist attack."
Thanking Muttaqi for condemning the Pahalgam terror attack, Jaishankar further wrote "Welcomed his firm rejection of recent attempts to create distrust between India and Afghanistan through false and baseless reports" in the Pakistani media.
Jaishankar further mentioned that the dicussion "underlined our (India's) traditional friendship with the Afghan people and continuing support for their development needs. Discussed ways and means of taking cooperation forward."
More Visas To Afghan People, Chabahar Port
Further enlightening on the conversation, Director of Communication Hafiz Zia Ahmad, said, "The Honorable Maulvi Amir Khan Muttaqi, Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Afghanistan, and the Minister of External Affairs of the Republic of India, Mr. Jaishankar, had a telephone conversation. The conversation focused on strengthening bilateral relations, trade, and enhancing diplomatic relations."
As per media reports, Ahmad also informed that during the call, Muttaqi sought approval of more Indian visas to Afghan nationals, especially to those seeking medical attention.
He also mentioned that bilateral trade, release and return of Afghan prisoners in Indian jails, and development of the Chabahar Port in Iran were discussed.
The discussion on Chabahar Port took place at a time when India and Pakistan have completely suspended all trade ties and closed its border posts in view of the Pahalgam terror attack.
The discussion assumes importance as, being a land-locked country, Afghanistan is experiencing the impact of strained Indo-Pak ties as it depends on land routes via Pakistan to reach India.
India-Afghanistan Relations
As India is yet to officially recognise the Taliban government, India's foreign policy towards Afghanistan under the Taliban regime emphasises on providing humanitarian aid and the well-being of Afghan citizens.
However, diplomatic initiatives have also been taken in an attempt to restore normalcy in bilateral ties. As per reports, since 2021, India and the Taliban administration have been taking steps to strengthen ties when the regime came to power after US' withdrawal from Afghanistan.
Over the years, a series of meetings between Indian diplomats and Taliban officials have worked towards broader cooperation between the two countries which have shared historic ties.
