Taliban Demands Big from India: Will Modi Government Accept?"
The Taliban, now in control of Afghanistan, has made a significant request to India: they want India to reopen its embassy in Kabul. Along with this request, they’ve provided a list of proposed Afghan diplomats, with Najib Shaheen at the top. Shaheen is the son of Suhail Shaheen, one of the Taliban’s main diplomatic representatives and a spokesperson based in Qatar. Suhail Shaheen, who is fluent in English and a writer, also served as the editor of Kabul Times during the 1990s. As of now, India has not responded to this request from the Taliban.
Taliban Appoints Consul in India
In November 2023, the Taliban took its first step towards establishing a presence in India by appointing Ikramuddin Kamil as its acting consul in Mumbai. Kamil, who had studied law at the Islamic University in Islamabad and South Asian University in New Delhi, became the Taliban’s first official representative in India.
Meeting Between Indian and Afghan Officials
This recent development follows a meeting between India’s Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri and Afghanistan’s acting Foreign Minister Amir Khan Muttaqi on January 8, 2025, in Dubai. During the meeting, Misri reaffirmed India’s longstanding friendship with the Afghan people, while Muttaqi urged India to increase its investments in Afghanistan and strengthen bilateral ties.
India’s Reluctance to Engage
Despite the Taliban’s request, Indian officials remain cautious. Media reports suggest that India is hesitant to accept the Taliban’s proposed diplomat, with one possible approach being to reopen the Indian embassy in Kabul first before considering any decisions on the matter.
In another related development, the Afghan embassy in New Delhi permanently shut down on November 24, 2023. The embassy’s closure came after pressure from both the Indian government and the Taliban, with Afghan Republic diplomats officially handing over the mission to India, leaving the country’s future diplomatic engagement up to India’s discretion.