Key Points

Akbar, while speaking to ANI, said that the visit destroys Pakistan's narrative for India that it has been isolated.

"It's a very important visit because it shows that the world is reaching out to Prime Minister Modi and to India. Nobody expected that relations with the Taliban would reach a point where we would actually have an official visit from their foreign minister. It's a very significant development," he said.

Akbar lauded the visit, saying that it showed Afghanistan's recognition of India as a major power.

"It also destroys the narrative that has been created by Pakistan, right?--which is the narrative that India has been isolated. Where is the isolation? The reaching out of Afghanistan itself, right? Shows that Afghanistan recognises India as a major power. India is a power which can be a major factor in the stability and the future of Afghanistan," he said.

Afghan Taliban's Foreign Minister Amir Khan Muttaqi is set to visit India from October 9, marking the first high-level delegation from Kabul to New Delhi since the Taliban took control of Afghanistan in August 2021.

Addressing a weekly media briefing, MEA Spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal confirmed on October 3 of the continued engagement with the interim government in Afghanistan, highlighting both diplomatic exchanges and humanitarian assistance following a recent earthquake in the region.

The United Nations Security Council has approved a temporary exemption on international travel restrictions for Muttaqi, allowing him to stay in India for a week beginning October 9. MEA spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal stated that the Ministry of External Affairs will continue to share updates regarding the visit.

"We have been having a conversation with the interim government in Afghanistan. You would have seen the telecon that had taken place some time back between the External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar and Foreign Minister Amir Khan Muttaqi," he said. The conversation between the two ministers took place earlier this year in May.

- ANI