India restores embassy in Kabul as Afghan foreign minister visits New Delhi

# India restores embassy in Kabul as Afghan foreign minister visits New Delhi

India has announced that it is reopening its embassy in Kabul, upgrading its technical mission back to full embassy status four years after the post fell vacant following the Taliban’s return to power.

Foreign minister S. Jaishankar made the announcement during a bilateral meeting with Afghan foreign minister Amir Khan Muttaqi in New Delhi. Jaishankar said India was “fully committed” to Afghanistan’s sovereignty, territorial integrity and independence, and described closer cooperation as contributing to development, stability and resilience.

The timing matters. Muttaqi’s six-day visit is the first by a senior Taliban leader since the movement retook power in 2021, and it came only after the UN Security Council approved a travel-ban exemption for him. That makes the trip itself a signal that diplomatic contact between India and Taliban-led Afghanistan is deepening, even if recognition remains off the table.

India had closed its embassy in Kabul after the Taliban takeover, then maintained a smaller technical mission focused on trade, medical assistance and humanitarian support. The new announcement suggests New Delhi believes it can do more than limited outreach. It is also occurring against the backdrop of worsening India-Pakistan relations, which gives any India-Afghanistan channel additional strategic value.

Muttaqi used the meeting to stress long-standing civilian and personal ties between the two countries. He called India a “close friend” and said Kabul wants a relationship based on mutual respect, trade, political engagement and people-to-people contact. He also highlighted India’s role as a major regional provider of humanitarian and reconstruction aid before the Taliban’s return.

The Afghan minister specifically praised India’s response to the August earthquake in Afghanistan, saying India was the first country to send humanitarian assistance. That detail is important because it shows how the relationship is being rebuilt through practical help rather than formal ideological alignment.

At a broader level, the move reflects a realignment of regional diplomacy. India does not recognise the Taliban government, but it is clearly willing to work with it on a narrower set of interests, including aid, trade and stability. For Kabul, the embassy upgrade is a diplomatic win that may help break isolation and diversify foreign ties beyond the handful of states already engaging with the regime.

There are limits, of course. Nothing in the report suggests India has changed its formal recognition policy, and Muttaqi’s visit does not erase the security and human-rights objections that have shadowed Taliban rule since 2021. Still, reopening the embassy is a concrete step, not just a diplomatic gesture. It indicates that both sides are ready to broaden contact after years of distance.

The reopening also reflects how practical cooperation can move ahead even without formal recognition. India still does not recognise the Taliban government, yet it is willing to expand contact because Afghanistan remains important for aid, regional stability and trade. For Kabul, the restored embassy status is a diplomatic gain; for New Delhi, it is a way to stay present in a country where rivals and security concerns still matter.