Mon Apr 28 11:55:35 UTC 2025: ## India’s Envoy Holds Talks with Taliban Amidst Regional Tensions
**New Delhi, April 28, 2025** – Amidst rising tensions with Pakistan, India’s joint secretary for Pakistan, Afghanistan, and Iran, Anand Prakash, held talks in Kabul with the Taliban’s acting Foreign Minister, Amir Khan Muttaqi. The discussions, reported by Afghan media on Sunday, focused on political and trade relations.
Muttaqi reportedly emphasized the expansion of economic and diplomatic ties with India, urging Indian investors to capitalize on opportunities in Afghanistan. While the specifics of the meeting remain undisclosed, the visit comes at a sensitive time following a recent terror attack in Pahalgam, sparking heightened tensions between India and Pakistan.
India has yet to formally recognize the Taliban regime, consistently advocating for an inclusive government in Kabul and demanding an end to the use of Afghan soil for terrorist activities. The country has also been actively pushing for the delivery of humanitarian aid to address Afghanistan’s ongoing crisis. Prakash’s visit follows the re-establishment of a limited Indian diplomatic presence in Kabul in June 2022, after a temporary withdrawal following the Taliban takeover in August 2021. It remains unclear whether the India-Pakistan tensions were directly addressed during the talks.
First Piper 