In a groundbreaking diplomatic move, External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar held a phone call with the Taliban’s Acting Foreign Minister Amir Khan Muttaqi, marking India’s first official ministerial-level engagement with the Taliban regime. The conversation follows the Taliban’s condemnation of the recent Pahalgam terror attack in Jammu and Kashmir, which killed 26 civilians and was linked to Pakistan-based terrorists.
Dr Jaishankar expressed appreciation for the Taliban’s stance and reaffirmed India’s traditional friendship with the Afghan people. Both sides discussed regional cooperation, visa access for Afghan nationals, trade ties, and the development of Iran’s Chabahar Port. The call also served as a rebuttal to Pakistani attempts to sow distrust between India and Afghanistan, with Muttaqi rejecting recent “false” reports from Pakistan-based media.
