Taliban foreign minister to visit India? Amir Khan Muttaqi may mark first high-level meet since Afghanistan takeover

General

INDIA

Since 2021, India has maintained limited diplomatic engagement with the Taliban government, focused on humanitarian aid and people-to-people ties while raising concerns over terrorism and the rights of women and minorities in the country. Read on to know more on this.

Amir Khan Muttaqi (Photo credit: Majid Asgaripour/WANA via Reuters).

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Afghanistan’s foreign minister Amir Khan Muttaqi will reportedly visit India in the coming week, marking the first meeting at a high level between the two sides since the Taliban seized power over four years ago, in 2021. Since then, India has maintained limited diplomatic engagement with the Taliban government, focused on humanitarian aid and people-to-people ties while raising concerns over terrorism and the rights of women and minorities in the Muslim-majority country. Taliban took back control of Kabul in August 2021 after a rapid military offensive that met with little resistance from the army.

General Why is Muttaqi’s likely visit significant?

Muttaqi’s planned visit is significant as the Taliban minister has been facing UN Security Council sanctions, including an international travel ban, with only special exemptions for him to step out of Afghanistan. In the past, his diplomatic outreach has faced disruption due to the travel restrictions. In August, his proposed visit to Pakistan was called off after the United States blocked a waiver at the UN sanctions committee, reports said.

General When and how did Taliban return to power?

Taliban, which emerged in Afghanistan in the early 1990s and ruled the country for five years between 1996 and 2001, regained control of Kabul in 2021 as US forces withdrew after two decades. The group launched a swift military blitz which met with little resistance and forced then-Afghanistan president Ashraf Ghani to flee. The Taliban government has failed to gain official recognition on a global level and remains heavily sanctioned. Earlier this year, Russia became the first country to recognise the Taliban regime, a move condemned by many nations around the world.

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