India engages with Taliban amid Pakistan tensions after Pahalgam massacre
Kabul: In a significant diplomatic outreach, India’s Special Representative Anand Prakash travelled to Kabul for talks with senior Taliban leaders, including Afghanistan's Foreign Minister, Maulvi Amir Khan Muttaqi.
Prakash held wide-ranging discussions against the backdrop of rapidly deteriorating ties between New Delhi and Islamabad.
The engagement follows the brutal terror attack in Pahalgam, Jammu and Kashmir, on April 22, which claimed 26 lives, most of them Hindu tourists.
The assault, conducted by The Resistance Front (TRF)—a proxy of the Pakistan-based Lashkar-e-Taiba—marked by chilling religious profiling, drew global condemnation.
The assailants forced victims to recite Islamic verses and subjected them to humiliating checks to ascertain their Hindu identity before executing them in front of their families, including children.
India has directly blamed Pakistan for the carnage, triggering a series of retaliatory steps, including the suspension of the Indus Waters Treaty and revocation of visas for Pakistani nationals.
In a tit-for-tat response, Pakistan has hinted at freezing the Simla Agreement, further escalating hostilities.
India, Taliban discuss regional challenges, trade, and mobility
The Kabul meeting focused on enhancing bilateral political ties, easing visa regulations, and boosting trade.
India reiterated its support for Afghanistan’s development and indicated readiness to resume investment in infrastructure projects.
Amid a fresh row between India and Pakistan over border trade disruptions—where India shut the Attari route and Pakistan blocked Afghan trucks en route to India—the two sides explored smoother mechanisms for goods movement and people-to-people exchange.
Muttaqi urged India to normalise visa procedures for Afghan patients, students, and business travellers. “These should return to normal,” he insisted.
India, for its part, emphasised its commitment to regional stability and deepening cooperation with Afghanistan.
Afghan deputy foreign ministry spokesperson Hafiz Zia Ahmad posted on X that both parties exchanged views on “recent regional political developments”.
Earlier, the Taliban administration had issued a statement condemning the Pahalgam massacre, offering condolences to the victims' families. “Such incidents undermine efforts to ensure regional security and stability,” the statement read.
India’s diplomatic signalling amid vows of retribution
The meeting underscores India’s bid to isolate Pakistan diplomatically while forging strategic ties in the region. New Delhi has vowed to hunt down the perpetrators of the Pahalgam massacre and their sponsors, pledging that the terrorists will be hunted “to the ends of the earth”.
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