Indian Officials Holds First-Ever Talks With Taliban’s Acting Defence Minister In Kabul

Last Updated:November 07, 2024, 23:25 IST

The meeting took place between JP Singh, India’s Joint Secretary responsible for Afghanistan, Pakistan, and Iran, and Mullah Mohammad Yaqoob Mujahid, the Taliban’s military chief since 2020.

JP Singh, Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs for PAI, meets Afghanistan's Acting Defense Minister Maulvi Mohammad Yaqub Mujahid in Kabul. (PTI photo)

In the first-ever meeting between India and the Taliban-led administration, a senior official from the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) met with the Taliban’s acting defence minister, Mullah Mohammad Yaqoob, on Wednesday to discuss ways to expand bilateral relations between the two.

The meeting took place on November 5 in Kabul between JP Singh, India’s Joint Secretary responsible for Afghanistan, Pakistan, and Iran, and Mullah Mohammad Yaqoob Mujahid, the Taliban’s military chief since 2020. Yaqoob is the son of Taliban founder Mullah Omar, as per Hindustan Times report.

Singh’s visit marks a significant step in India’s diplomatic engagement with Afghanistan under Taliban rule.

As New Delhi’s key interlocutor with the Taliban since their return to power in August 2021, Singh also held separate talks with other senior Taliban officials, including acting foreign minister Amir Khan Muttaqi.

Additionally, Singh met former Afghan president Hamid Karzai during his time in Kabul.

“They had discussions on India’s humanitarian assistance, also how the Chabahar Port (in Iran) can be utilized by the business community in Afghanistan for transactions and for export and import and any other thing that they would like to do for," MEA spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said in a press briefing, Deccan Herald reported.

In a statement, the Taliban’s Ministry of Defence also confirmed the meeting, stating, “The two sides emphasised their common desire to expand bilateral relations, especially in the field of humanitarian cooperation and other issues and expressed their interest in strengthening further interactions between Afghanistan and India."

Kabul, Afghanistan

News world Indian Officials Holds First-Ever Talks With Taliban’s Acting Defence Minister In Kabul