New Delhi, October 10, 2025: India announced on Friday that it will reopen its embassy in Kabul, nearly four years after shutting it down following the Taliban’s takeover of Afghanistan in 2021.
The announcement came during a high-level meeting between Afghan Foreign Minister Amir Khan Muttaqi and Indian External Affairs Minister Subrahmanyam Jaishankar in New Delhi, marking a major step toward restoring diplomatic engagement with the Taliban-led administration.
Jaishankar said India’s technical mission in Kabul would soon be upgraded to full embassy status, though no specific timeline was provided. “India is fully committed to the sovereignty, territorial integrity, and independence of Afghanistan,” he said, adding that closer cooperation would support both Afghanistan’s development and regional stability.
Muttaqi, in his remarks, expressed satisfaction over his visit and invited Indian companies to invest in Afghanistan’s reconstruction and development sectors. “I am happy to come to New Delhi and keen to enhance relations,” he said, assuring that “no group will be allowed to use Afghan territory against any other nation.” The statement appeared aimed at easing regional security concerns.
Muttaqi’s six-day visit is the first official trip by a senior Taliban leader to India since the group returned to power in August 2021. The visit was made possible after the UN Security Council Committee temporarily lifted Muttaqi’s travel ban, part of sanctions imposed on several Taliban officials.
According to the Afghan foreign ministry, talks with Indian counterparts focused on political, trade, and economic cooperation. Analysts view the engagement as part of the Taliban’s broader effort to gain diplomatic legitimacy and attract regional investment amid Afghanistan’s deepening economic and humanitarian crisis.
India closed its Kabul embassy after the Taliban’s takeover in 2021 but re-established a technical mission in 2022 to coordinate trade, medical aid, and humanitarian assistance.
Currently, about a dozen countries — including China, Russia, Iran, Pakistan, and Turkiye — operate embassies in Kabul. Of these, only Russia has formally recognized the Taliban government.
While New Delhi has not extended formal recognition, Friday’s decision signals a cautious diplomatic reopening centred on regional stability, counterterrorism cooperation, and economic engagement.
