In A First, S Jaishankar Speaks To Taliban International Minister, Scripts Historical past

New Delhi:

Scripting a brand new chapter in regional dynamics, Exterior Affairs Minister S Jaishankar on Thursday spoke with the Taliban’s appearing International Minister Amir Khan Muttaqi over an official telephone name. The decision assumes significance as it’s the first ministerial-level outreach by India to Afghanistan’s Taliban administration.

Dr Jaishankar’s name to Mr Muttaqi comes days after Afghanistan’s Taliban regime, which New Delhi is but to formally recognise, condemned the Pahalgam terror assault, wherein 26 civilians, all vacationers, had been killed by Pakistan-linked terrorists in a religiously-motivated assault in Jammu and Kashmir.

‘MINISTERIAL-LEVEL TALKS – A FIRST WITH TALIBAN’

In a publish on social media platform X shortly after the telephone name, Dr Jaishankar wrote, “Good dialog with Performing Afghan International Minister Mawlawi Amir Khan Muttaqi this night. Deeply respect his condemnation of the Pahalgam terrorist assault.” He added that throughout the dialogue he “underlined our (India’s) conventional friendship with the Afghan individuals and persevering with assist for his or her growth wants. Mentioned methods and technique of taking cooperation ahead.”

‘A REBUTTAL TO PAKISTAN’

Countering Pakistan’s false narrative of linking the Taliban to the incidents in Jammu and Kashmir and India’s response to it, Dr Jaishankar wrote that he welcomed Mr Muttaqi’s “agency rejection of current makes an attempt to create mistrust between India and Afghanistan via false and baseless studies” within the Pakistani media.

Good dialog with Performing Afghan International Minister Mawlawi Amir Khan Muttaqi this night.

Deeply respect his condemnation of the Pahalgam terrorist assault.

Welcomed his agency rejection of current makes an attempt to create mistrust between India and Afghanistan via false and…

— Dr. S. Jaishankar (@DrSJaishankar) Could 15, 2025

‘IMPORTANCE OF IRAN’S CHABAHAR PORT’

In response to Taliban’s Director of Communication Hafiz Zia Ahmad, throughout the name, Mr Muttaqi requested Dr Jaishankar to offer extra visas to Afghan nationals, particularly to these searching for medical consideration. He additionally talked about that bilateral commerce, launch and return of Afghan prisoners in Indian jails, and growth of the Chabahar Port in Iran had been mentioned.

The senior Taliban official shared a sequence of posts within the Pashto language, which broadly listed what was mentioned between the 2 ministers.

د ا.ا.ا. د بهرنیو چارو وزیر محترم مولوي امیر خان متقي او د هند جمهوریت د بهرنیو چارو وزیر ښاغلي جې شنکر ټيلیفوني خبرې وکړې.
په دې مکالمه کې د دوو اړخیزو اړیکو پر پیاوړتیا، تجارت او د دیپلوماتیکو اړیکو د کچې پر لوړولو خبرې وشوې. pic.twitter.com/weErRrvARu

— Hafiz Zia Ahmad (@HafizZiaAhmad) Could 15, 2025

او ناروغانو ته د هند د ویزو په ورکړه کې د اسانتیاوو او په هند کې د افغان بندیانو د خلاصېدو او هیواد ته د راستنولو غوښتنه وکړه.

د هند د بهرنیو چارو وزیر ښاغلي جې شنکر هم له افغانستان سره د هند اړیکې تاریخي وبللې او زیاته یې کړه، چې هېواد به يې له افغانستان سره خپلو همکاریو ته…

— Hafiz Zia Ahmad (@HafizZiaAhmad) Could 15, 2025

Dialogue on Chabahar Port assumes significance at a time when India and Pakistan have fully ended all commerce ties and closed its border posts within the wake of the Pahalgam terror assault. Being a land-locked nation, Afghanistan feels the affect, because it will depend on land routes through Pakistan to achieve India. 

India and Afghanistan share a land border too, however that has remained cut-off by Pakistan-occupied Kashmir or PoK since 1947. The one different choice for commerce is through the Chabahar Port in Iran.

‘FOSTERING TIES WITH THE TALIBAN’

India and the Taliban administration have been taking steps to strengthen ties since August 2021, when the regime got here to energy after US’ withdrawal from Afghanistan. Over time, a sequence of conferences between Indian diplomats and Taliban officers have labored in direction of broader cooperation between the 2 international locations which have shared historic ties.

Although ties haven’t but normalised, India’s coverage in direction of Afghanistan below the Taliban regime has been targeted on offering humanitarian support and the well-being of Afghan residents. Diplomatic initiatives have additionally been ongoing in direction of bringing normalcy to ties.

As lately as April 27 this yr, days after the Pahalgam terror assault, senior Indian diplomat Anand Prakash visited Kabul as tensions peaked between New Delhi and Islamabad over “cross-border terror hyperlinks”. Mr Prakash held a gathering with Mr Muttaqi throughout the go to.

‘DIPLOMATIC ENGAGEMENTS’

Different key visits by senior Indian diplomats embody these by Mr JP Singh, who visited Afghanistan twice final yr – in March to satisfy appearing international minister Amir Khan Muttaqi, and in November to satisfy the appearing defence minister Mohammad Yaqub Mujahid. Each conferences occurred in Kabul.

In addition to the conferences in Afghanistan, a high-level assembly additionally occurred in Dubai in January this yr, when international secretary Vikram Misri, together with an Indian delegation met Taliban’s appearing international minister Amir Khan Muttaqi and an Afghan delegation. The 2 leaders held wide-ranging bilateral talks, together with on Chabahar Port.

The assembly in Dubai was geared toward bolstering cooperation over humanitarian support, developmental help, commerce, commerce, sports activities, cultural ties, regional safety, and initiatives of nationwide curiosity.

‘CONFIDENCE-BUILDING MEASURES’

In current occasions, the Authorities of India has additionally permitted the Taliban to steadily take management of the Afghan missions in New Delhi, Mumbai, and Hyderabad in an effort to present consular providers to its nationals in India and help these coming from Afghanistan to India on enterprise or to check, or get medical care.

When it comes to humanitarian support, New Delhi had, until December 2024, dispatched a number of shipments consisting of greater than 50,000 metric tonnes of wheat, 300 tonnes of medicines, 27 tonnes of earthquake aid support, 40,000 litres of pesticides, 100 million polio doses, 1.5 million doses of the Covid vaccine, 11,000 models of hygiene kits for the drug de-addiction programme, 500 models of winter clothes and 1.2 tonnes of stationery kits, over the previous few years.