Acting Afghan FM Muttaqi to visit India as UNSC sanctions committee approves travel ban exemption

United Nations, Oct 2 (PTI) Afghanistan's Acting Foreign Minister Amir Khan Muttaqi will travel to India next week after the UN Security Council’s Taliban Sanctions Committee approved an exemption to the travel ban imposed on the Taliban leader.

Muttaqi was listed by the UN Security Council on January 25, 2001, and was subject to a travel ban, assets freeze and arms embargo.

The Security Council Committee, established pursuant to resolution 1988 (2011), on September 30, 2025, “approved an exemption to the travel ban for Amir Khan Muttaqi to visit New Delhi, India, from October 9 to 16, 2025,” according to information on the Sanctions Committee’s website.

It would be the first ministerial visit from Kabul to India after the Taliban seized power in Afghanistan in August 2021.

Muttaqi, “considered to be a prominent member of the Taliban”, had also served as a Taliban representative in United Nations-led talks during the Taliban regime, the UN said.

The Committee comprises all 15 members of the UN Security Council and makes its decision by consensus.  The 1988 Taliban Sanctions Committee is currently chaired by Pakistan. The two Vice-Chairs for 2025 are Guyana and Russia.  In May this year, External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar had said he had a “good conversation” with Muttaqi and “deeply appreciated his condemnation of the Pahalgam terrorist attack.” Jaishankar had “welcomed his firm rejection of recent attempts to create distrust between India and Afghanistan through false and baseless reports. Underlined our traditional friendship with the Afghan people and continuing support for their development needs. Discussed ways and means of taking cooperation forward.”  A planned visit to India by Muttaqi last month was called off after he could not get a waiver for the trip.

India has not yet recognised the Taliban set up and has been pitching for the formation of a truly inclusive government in Kabul.

New Delhi has also been insisting that Afghan soil must not be used for any terrorist activities against any country. PTI YAS ZH GRS GRS GRS