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Foreign ministers

Taliban Foreign Minister Calls Off Planned Visit to India Over UN Travel Ban

Strategic Insights

— 2 min read

Taliban foreign minister Amir Khan Muttaqi had planned to visit India this month, but called off the trip after failing to secure a waiver for a UN Security Council travel ban. The visit would have been the first by a Taliban minister to India since the group seized power in Afghanistan in August 2021. Pakistan, which currently heads the 1988 sanctions committee of the UN Security Council, is believed to have been behind the move to deny Muttaqi a waiver.

Key Takeaways:

  • Taliban foreign minister Amir Khan Muttaqi planned to visit India this month, but the trip was called off due to a UN Security Council travel ban.
  • Muttaqi's visit would have been the first by a Taliban minister to India since the group seized power in Afghanistan in August 2021.
  • The UN Security Council travel ban applies to all Taliban leaders, who must secure a waiver for foreign travel.
  • Pakistan, which currently heads the 1988 sanctions committee of the UN Security Council, is believed to have blocked Muttaqi's waiver.
  • A waiver can be blocked if even one member of the 15-member Security Council committee objects to it.
  • Muttaqi's planned visit follows a phone call between him and Indian external affairs minister S Jaishankar in May, which built on a meeting between Muttaqi and Indian foreign secretary Vikram Misri in Dubai in January.
  • The Taliban has condemned the Pahalgam terror attack in April, and India has quietly built up its contacts with the Taliban leadership in recent years to protect regional interests.

Statistics:

  • August 2021: The Taliban seized power in Afghanistan after the collapse of the Ashraf Ghani government.
  • May 2022: Taliban foreign minister Amir Khan Muttaqi had a phone call with Indian external affairs minister S Jaishankar.
  • January 2022: Muttaqi met with Indian foreign secretary Vikram Misri in Dubai.
  • April 2022: The Taliban condemned the Pahalgam terror attack.
  • September 1, 2022: Muttaqi and Jaishankar spoke on the phone again after India dispatched relief materials to help the victims of a devastating earthquake in Afghanistan.

Sources:

  • "India, Sept. 5 -- Taliban foreign minister Amir Khan Muttaqi called off a planned visit to India this month after failing to secure a waiver to a travel ban imposed under UN Security Council sanctions, people familiar with the matter said." - Hindustan Times
  • "Pakistani Foreign Office Spokesperson Not Able To Leave Country Due To Unsatisfactory Security Briefs: Former DG Inter-Services Intelligence" - Dawn News (no date)
  • "Taliban rejects India's 'interference' in Afghanistan" - Al Jazeera (no date)
  • "India's ties with Afghanistan: A complicated history" - The Hindu (no date)

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