Suhail Shaheen, the Taliban’s envoy in Qatar, has called on India to elevate its relationship with the group, emphasizing the importance of a meeting between foreign ministers as a step toward expanding cooperation in areas such as trade. His remarks were published in an interview with The Times of India.
According to the paper, India continues to explore ways to facilitate a visit by Amir Khan Muttaqi, the Taliban’s foreign minister, despite the United Nations Security Council’s previous rejection of India’s request to lift his travel ban.
Shaheen has also recently appealed to the United Nations to grant the Taliban Afghanistan’s seat at the UN.
Taliban officials remain on UN sanctions lists, requiring exemptions for international travel. Abdul Salam Hanafi, the group’s deputy prime minister for administrative affairs, had secured such an exemption, but his planned trip on August 13 was canceled for unspecified reasons.
India has maintained humanitarian ties with the people of Afghanistan, including during the recent earthquake, and has indicated that it is willing to engage with the Taliban for such efforts.
The Times of India notes that while India seeks to expand its presence in Afghanistan, it continues to align with the international community on the issue of Taliban recognition.
Indian Foreign Minister Subrahmanyam Jaishankar has held at least two phone calls with Amir Khan Muttaqi.
