• Taliban Foreign Minister Amir Khan Muttaqi granted travel exemption to visit India from October 9-16.
• This marks the first high-level Taliban visit to India since 2021.
• The trip follows recent interactions between Indian officials and the Taliban.

Amir Khan Muttaqi, Afghanistan's Taliban Foreign Minister, has been granted a temporary travel exemption to visit India from October 9-16, marking a significant development as it is the first high-level trip by a Taliban leader to New Delhi since the group took power in August 2021. This travel exemption was authorized by the UN Security Council sanctions committee, allowing Muttaqi to engage in discussions that may revive previously stalled plans, according to Indiatimes, TRT Global, and Channel News Asia.

During this visit, Muttaqi is expected to participate in multilateral discussions following an invitation to the seventh round of the "Moscow Format" talks in Russia on October 6, where he will attend as a member for the first time. The Taliban has emphasized its desire to strengthen diplomatic ties, with Muttaqi affirming that such initiatives can help to "build trust" with neighboring countries, as reported by Indiatimes and TRT Global.

The Indian Foreign Ministry confirmed that the agenda for Muttaqi’s visit remains undisclosed, although past interactions, such as discussions on humanitarian assistance and development needs, have signaled a gradual increase in India's engagement with the Taliban. Indian officials, including External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar, have previously communicated directly with Muttaqi and expressed intentions to provide aid to Afghanistan, according to Indiatimes and Channel News Asia.

If the visit proceeds as planned, it will represent a landmark moment in India-Afghanistan relations, particularly as it seeks to cautiously expand cooperation with the Taliban amid ongoing global concerns about the group's recognition and humanitarian issues in Afghanistan, reports TRT Global and Channel News Asia.