Jaishankar, Taliban speak for 1st time; know what they discussed
What's the story
External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar created history on Thursday by talking to Amir Khan Muttaqi, the Taliban's acting Foreign Minister.
This marks India's first-ever ministerial outreach to Afghanistan's Taliban regime, which New Delhi has not yet recognized officially.
The conversation comes after the Taliban condemned the terrorist attack in Pahalgam, Jammu and Kashmir, which killed 26 civilians.
Diplomatic dialogue
Jaishankar values Taliban's condemnation of Pahalgam attack
After the phone call, Jaishankar took to X to thank Muttaqi for condemning the Pahalgam terrorist attack.
He reiterated India's timeless friendship with the Afghan people and continued support for their development requirements.
"Underlined our traditional friendship with the Afghan people and continuing support for their development needs. Discussed ways and means of taking cooperation forward," he wrote on X.
Diplomatic rebuttal
Jaishankar counters Pakistan's narrative, promotes India-Afghanistan ties
Jaishankar also refuted Pakistan's attempts to connect the Taliban with incidents in Jammu and Kashmir.
"Welcomed his firm rejection of recent attempts to create distrust between India and Afghanistan through false and baseless reports," Jaishankar said.
He was referring to Pakistani media that claimed India had "hired" the Taliban to carry out a "false flag" operation in Pahalgam.
Twitter Post
Taliban shares details of phone call
او ناروغانو ته د هند د ویزو په ورکړه کې د اسانتیاوو او په هند کې د افغان بندیانو د خلاصېدو او هیواد ته د راستنولو غوښتنه وکړه.
— Hafiz Zia Ahmad (@HafizZiaAhmad) May 15, 2025
د هند د بهرنیو چارو وزیر ښاغلي جې شنکر هم له افغانستان سره د هند اړیکې تاریخي وبللې او زیاته یې کړه، چې هېواد به يې له افغانستان سره خپلو همکاریو ته...
Topics discussed
Visa facilitation and trade discussed during Taliban-India call
A readout from the Taliban side said the two leaders discussed various issues, including the facilitation of visas for Afghan nationals who want to come to India for medical treatment.
Bilateral trade, the release and repatriation of Afghan prisoners languishing in Indian jails, and the development of Iran's Chabahar Port were also discussed.
The strategic port, where an Indian state-owned firm controls a terminal, has been utilized to transport commercial cargo and humanitarian aid to Afghanistan.
Aid initiatives
India maintains humanitarian aid focus under Taliban regime
The Taliban have expressed interest in using the port to ship goods to India, and reports say such moves are expected to gain traction following India's closure of the only operational land border crossing with Pakistan, Attari, which was heavily used by Afghan traders.
Muttaqi also referred to India "as a key regional country and highlighted the historic nature of Afghanistan-India relations," expressing hope that the ties "will grow stronger."
Before Jaishankar, Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri met Muttaqi in Dubai.