*NEW DELHI / KABUL: India announced on Friday that it will reopen its embassy in Kabul, four years after shutting it down when the Taliban seized power following the withdrawal of U.S.-led NATO forces in 2021. The decision, revealed by Indian Foreign Minister Subrahmanyam Jaishankar, represents a significant step toward rebuilding diplomatic channels with Afghanistan’s Taliban administration.
“I am pleased to announce today the upgrading of India’s Technical Mission in Kabul to the status of the Embassy of India,” Jaishankar said during a meeting with Taliban Foreign Minister Amir Khan Muttaqi, who is on a six-day visit to India — the first by a senior Taliban official since the group’s return to power.
The move underscores New Delhi’s pragmatic shift in its regional policy, as it seeks to secure its strategic and humanitarian interests in Afghanistan without formally recognizing the Taliban government.
India had maintained limited engagement through a small technical mission focused on trade, medical support, and humanitarian aid since 2022. The reopening of a full-fledged embassy expands those links to include broader political and diplomatic coordination.
Analysts say the timing of the announcement also reflects India’s intent to counter Pakistan’s waning influence in Kabul, amid recent friction between Islamabad and the Taliban over border security and militant sanctuaries.
