Afghanistan’s Foreign Minister, Amir Khan Muttaqi, during his first visit to New Delhi as FM, made clear that Kabul won’t permit foreign military presence at Bagram base. He also reaffirmed that Afghan territory won’t be used to threaten other nations. Meanwhile, India announced it will upgrade its mission in Kabul to a full embassy, signaling deeper engagement amid complex regional dynamics.
‘Sovereign Afghanistan will not host troops’
Addressing reporters in Delhi, Muttaqi asserted: “We have never accepted any military there, and we certainly never will.” He emphasized that Afghanistan is a sovereign state and will remain so. He said relations with other countries must be carried out through diplomatic channels, not through military presence.
He defended his government’s record on security, stating that over the past four years, Afghanistan has upheld its policy that its territory will not be used against others. "We also talked about security concerns and had a detailed discussion on this end. The Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan has proven in the last four years that the territory of Afghanistan will not be used against others. And it remains committed to that policy that the territory of Afghanistan is not used to threaten others,” Muttaqi was quoted as saying, according to an ANI report.
He assured India that Kabul rejects any external attempts to station military infrastructure on Afghan soil. Muttaqi also arrived in India under a UN Security Council travel waiver, as he remains under UN sanctions. This visit marks the first high-level contact between Taliban leadership and India since 2021.
India reopens diplomatic path, deepens ties
In bilateral talks, External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar announced India would upgrade its technical mission in Kabul to be a full-fledged embassy, reversing the closure from 2021.
Jaishankar said India will continue providing assistance in health, trade, and development, and reaffirmed India’s support for Afghanistan’s sovereignty.
Amid delicate diplomacy, India has avoided recognizing the Taliban regime formally, but this move signals a calibrated engagement. Meanwhile, during the joint statement at the Moscow Format talks, India and others had already called foreign military deployments in Afghanistan or nearby “unacceptable.”