Taliban Appoints First Senior Diplomat to India Since 2021 Takeover

Afghanistan’s Taliban-led government has appointed Mufti Noor Ahmad Noor as its first senior diplomatic representative in India since seizing power in 2021, naming him Chargé d’Affaires at the Afghan Embassy in New Delhi.

Noor, a senior official from the Taliban’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs and former Director General of its First Political Division, arrived in the Indian capital earlier this month and formally assumed his role. On January 12, he met Anand Prakash, Joint Secretary in India’s Ministry of External Affairs responsible for Pakistan, Afghanistan, and Iran affairs. The Afghan Embassy described the discussions as focusing on strengthening bilateral political and economic relations, expanding trade, facilitating visas, and addressing challenges faced by Afghan traders, students, and nationals in India.

Both sides emphasized the importance of bolstering Afghanistan-India ties, according to a statement from the embassy on X (formerly Twitter), which included photos of the handshake between Noor and Prakash.

India has not formally recognized the Taliban administration — known as the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan — and remains one of the few major powers yet to do so, with only Russia granting official recognition so far. However, the appointment follows reciprocal steps after Taliban Acting Foreign Minister Amir Khan Muttaqi’s week-long visit to India in October 2025, during which India agreed to upgrade its technical mission in Kabul to a full embassy and accept Taliban-appointed diplomats in New Delhi.

The move is seen as part of the Taliban’s broader strategy to gain international legitimacy by reasserting control over Afghanistan’s overseas diplomatic missions. Previous attempts to install a Taliban envoy in Delhi failed in 2023 when embassy staff loyal to the former Afghan government blocked entry.

Analysts view the development as a cautious deepening of engagement amid regional tensions, including India-Pakistan rivalry and border frictions involving Pakistan and Afghanistan. New Delhi has pursued limited ties with the Taliban to maintain influence in Kabul, provide humanitarian aid, and explore economic opportunities such as trade and connectivity via Iran’s Chabahar Port.

The Afghan Embassy in New Delhi continues to fly the flag of the former republic, and local Indian staff are expected to remain in place under Noor’s leadership. No immediate comment has come from India’s Ministry of External Affairs on the appointment.

This marks a notable shift in India-Afghanistan relations nearly five years after the Taliban’s return to power, highlighting pragmatic diplomacy in a complex geopolitical landscape.