Historic First: Taliban foreign minister set to visit India next week after UN uplifts travel ban

In a landmark move, the United Nations has cleared the way for Afghanistan’s Taliban-appointed Foreign Minister, Amir Khan Muttaqi, to visit India next week. The visit, scheduled for October 9–16, comes after the UN Security Council agreed to temporarily lift long-standing travel restrictions on Muttaqi, ANI reported.

The decision, made under provisions of UN Security Council resolution 1988 (2011), highlights the global community’s cautious engagement with the Taliban government, which has remained largely unrecognised since it seized power in 2021.

UN clears the path for visit

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The Security Council noted that exemptions can be granted for official duties or medical needs, paving the way for Muttaqi’s New Delhi trip.

"On 30 September 2025, the Security Council Committee established pursuant to resolution 1988 (2011) approved an exemption to the travel ban for Amir Khan Motaqi (TAi . 026) to visit New Delhi, India, from 9 to 16 October 2025," the United Nations Security Council wrote in a statement.

It added similar exemptions had been granted earlier this year, including for Abdul Salam Hanafi Ali Mardan Qul’s visit to Doha for medical treatment in August and Khairullah Khairkhwah’s Moscow trip in July.

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India Visit: What’s at stake?

The development will mark the first such official visit of a Taliban foreign minister to India, underscoring both the diplomatic significance and sensitivities involved. New Delhi has so far maintained only limited contact with Kabul’s rulers, balancing humanitarian concerns with security risks in the region.

For India, the engagement comes at a time of heightened instability in Afghanistan, where recent policies by the Taliban have triggered fresh international criticism.

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Afghanistan’s humanitarian struggles

Muttaqi’s visit will unfold against the backdrop of deepening crises at home. Afghanistan recently endured its first nationwide telecoms and internet blackout under the Taliban, a move authorities described as part of a clampdown on “immoral activities.”

Netblocks, a global internet watchdog, said multiple networks and telephone services were simultaneously disconnected, resulting in a “total internet blackout” for the country’s 43 million citizens. This came just weeks after a 6.9 magnitude earthquake devastated eastern Afghanistan.

Since reclaiming power, the Taliban has enforced increasingly rigid rules, particularly targeting women. Afghan women employed with the United Nations were barred from entering UN offices in September, continuing a string of prohibitions that began with the 2021 ban on girls’ secondary education. Online classes had offered a lifeline for many women, but with the latest restrictions on internet access, those opportunities now face disruption as well.