Nearly five years after the Taliban takeover in Kabul, a Taliban-appointed diplomat has arrived in India to take charge of Afghanistan’s embassy in New Delhi.Senior Taliban official Mufti Noor Ahmad Noor has reached the Indian capital and is expected to assume charge as Charge d’Affaires at the Afghan Embassy. The move makes him the first Taliban-nominated diplomat to head Afghanistan’s diplomatic mission in India since the collapse of the Ashraf Ghani-led republic in August 2021.
India and Afghanistan have witnessed a steady rise in their bilateral relations in the past few months. Mufti Noor is a senior official in the Taliban’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs and previously served as Director General of the First Political Department in Kabul. He was part of the Taliban delegation led by Foreign Minister Mufti Amir Khan Muttaqi during its seven-day visit to India in October, 2025. It was the first high level Taliban visit to New Delhi since the regime returned to power.
During that visit, the Taliban delegation held talks with External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar, signalling a deep engagement between two sides, particularly in the humanitarian and health sectors.
In December last year, Mr. Noor travelled to Bangladesh, where he reportedly met several Islamist leaders in Dhaka. Bangladeshi media described the visit as politically significant, as it came ahead of national elections there.
Earlier Attempts and Consular Control
This is not the Taliban’s first attempt to place a senior diplomat in New Delhi. In April 2023, a previous Taliban nominee was blocked from entering the Afghan Embassy after objections from embassy staff loyal to the former government. Subsequently, the Taliban succeeded in appointing its representatives to Afghan consulates in Mumbai and Hyderabad. Ikramuddin Kamil currently heads the Mumbai consulate, while Habibur Rahman Aftab has taken over in Hyderabad.
Until now, the Afghan Embassy in New Delhi had been headed by Said Muhammad Ibrahimkhil, a diplomat appointed under former President Ashraf Ghani. Sources said it remains unclear whether Mr. Ibrahimkhil will return to Hyderabad or leave India altogether. Local officials in Hyderabad said they had not yet received official communication regarding changes in consular staffing.
Gradual Normalisation Without Formal Recognition
India does not formally recognise the Taliban as Afghanistan’s legitimate government, having consistently stated that the regime came to power through force. However, New Delhi has steadily expanded its engagement with the Taliban since reopening a “technical mission” in Kabul in 2022.
On October 21 last year, the Ministry of External Affairs announced that India would upgrade its Kabul mission to full “Embassy status”, allowing reciprocal diplomatic postings. The decision aligned India with countries such as China, Russia, Pakistan and several Gulf and Central Asian states that already host Taliban diplomats. In its statement, the MEA said the move “underscores India’s resolve to deepen its bilateral engagement with the Afghan side in all spheres of mutual interest”.
Bilateral Engagements Signal Widening Cooperation
India–Taliban engagement has intensified over the past year through a series of diplomatic, humanitarian and sector-specific interactions. On December 20, Afghanistan’s Minister of Public Health Noor Jalal Jalali visited New Delhi to attend the WHO Global Summit on Traditional Medicine. During his visit, Mr. Jalali publicly said “India as an emerging alternative partner for Afghanistan’s pharmaceutical needs, citing deteriorating ties with Pakistan”.
India, in turn, reaffirmed its commitment to humanitarian assistance, particularly in health and medicine supply, despite the absence of formal diplomatic recognition.
Earlier, in November, Afghanistan’s Minister of Commerce and Industry Nooruddin Azizi announced that long-pending visa issues had been resolved, allowing Afghan citizens to travel to India for medical treatment and business. He said the Afghan Embassy in New Delhi would play a central role in facilitating these services.
What Happened During the India-Taliban Talks?
During his October visit, Mr. Muttaqi held extensive discussions with Indian officials on trade, humanitarian assistance, regional security and political engagement. After meeting Mr. Jaishankar, India announced plans to reopen its embassy in Kabul.
“Closer cooperation between us contributes to your national development as well as regional stability and resilience,” Mr. Jaishankar said, while reaffirming India’s commitment to Afghanistan’s sovereignty and territorial integrity. In a joint statement, both sides agreed to maintain close communication and regular engagement. Taliban officials also invited Indian companies to invest in Afghanistan’s mining sector, calling it key to boosting bilateral trade, which stood at nearly $900 million last year.
Why Is India Engaging the Taliban Now?
For decades, India viewed the Taliban primarily as a proxy of Pakistan, especially during the group’s first stint in power in the 1990s. India shut its embassy in Kabul in 1996 and backed the Northern Alliance against the Taliban.
However, regional dynamics have shifted dramatically since 2021. Relations between Pakistan and the Taliban have deteriorated sharply, with Islamabad accusing Kabul of sheltering militants but Taliban denied the charges. At the same time, India has sought to prevent strategic space in Afghanistan from being monopolised by rivals such as China and Pakistan.
Analysts said that disengagement is no longer a viable option. As Praveen Donthi of the International Crisis Group has noted, avoiding the Taliban risks ceding influence in a strategically vital region.
What Does India Expect from the Taliban?
India’s expectations remain limited but strategic. New Delhi seeks assurances that Afghan territory will not be used for anti-India militant activities and wants stability in a country that directly impacts South Asian security.
The Taliban have reiterated commitments not to allow any group to use Afghan soil against India. They also strongly condemned recent militant attacks in India , a gesture New Delhi publicly welcomed. India also hopes that engagement will facilitate humanitarian access, protect Indian investments, revive trade routes and support regional connectivity projects such as Iran’s Chabahar Port.
What Does Diplomatic Engagement Mean for the Taliban?
For the Taliban, engagement with India represents a major diplomatic breakthrough. While the regime remains largely unrecognised internationally, being able to post a senior diplomat in New Delhi enhances its legitimacy and global standing.
Control over the Afghan Embassy in India would be a symbolic victory, especially as the mission still flies the flag of the former republic. Analysts say deeper engagement with India could open doors to trade, education and healthcare cooperation, which are lifelines for Afghanistan’s struggling economy.
At the same time, India’s outreach has drawn criticism domestically, particularly over the Taliban’s record on women’s rights and human rights. The exclusion of female journalists from a recent Taliban press conference in Delhi sparked sharp backlash, underlining the sensitivities surrounding New Delhi’s engagement.
A Pragmatic Turn
The arrival of Mufti Noor Ahmad Noor in New Delhi underscores a clear shift in India’s Afghanistan policy. While formal recognition remains off the table, the appointment signals New Delhi’s willingness to deal with political realities in the region, balancing strategic interests with humanitarian considerations.
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