Taliban foreign minister Amir Muttaqi receives warm welcome in India — What’s on his agenda?

News Network
October 9, 2025

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Afghan Foreign Minister Amir Khan Muttaqi reached New Delhi on Thursday, marking the first high-level visit from Kabul since the Taliban came to power in August 2021 after the fall of Ashraf Ghani’s government.
 
What’s on Muttaqi’s agenda in India

During his six-day visit, Muttaqi is set to hold extensive discussions with External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar and National Security Advisor Ajit Doval. 

Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal welcomed the Afghan minister. In a post on X, he said, “Warm welcome to Afghan Foreign Minister, Mawlawi Amir Khan Muttaqi on his arrival in New Delhi. We look forward to engaging discussions with him on bilateral relations and regional issues.”

Muttaqi’s itinerary includes visits to the Darul Uloom Deoband seminary and the Taj Mahal. He is also expected to meet business groups and members of the Afghan community in India. 

Zia Ahmad Takal, head of public relations at Afghanistan’s Foreign Ministry, told Tolo News that the discussions in India will cover “expanding relations between Kabul and New Delhi”.

Muttaqi arrived in India after participating in the 7th Moscow Format Consultations on Afghanistan on October 7. Delegates from Afghanistan, India, Iran, Kazakhstan, China, Kyrgyzstan, Pakistan, Russia, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan attended.
 
UN travel ban lifted temporarily

The Afghan foreign minister was initially scheduled to visit New Delhi last month, but his trip was postponed due to a UN Security Council (UNSC) travel ban.

The UNSC approved a temporary exemption on September 30, allowing Muttaqi to visit India from October 9 to 16. The exemption lifted restrictions from sanctions originally imposed in 2001, which included a travel ban, asset freeze and arms embargo.  
 
India-Taliban contacts

India has not formally recognised the Taliban government. Jaishankar had a phone conversation with Muttaqi on May 15, the highest-level contact since the Taliban’s takeover. In January, the Taliban described India as an “important” regional and economic power following talks between Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri and Muttaqi.

While a meeting with Prime Minister Narendra Modi is not confirmed, Indian officials will accord full protocol to the visiting foreign minister. The focus of the visit remains on strengthening diplomatic and economic ties, engaging with business groups and discussing regional stability. 

Muttaqi’s visit marks a rare high-level engagement with India since the Taliban assumed power and coincides with UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer’s visit to Mumbai for trade talks with PM Modi.

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News Network
November 21,2025

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Udupi: The Malpe Police have arrested two men from Uttar Pradesh for allegedly sharing classified information related to Indian Navy vessels with individuals in Pakistan, posing a serious threat to national security.

According to a complaint filed by the CEO of Udupi Cochin Shipyard, Malpe—an institution under the Union Ministry of Ports, Shipping and Waterways—the prime accused, Rohit (29), was working as an insulator through subcontractor M/S Shushma Marine Pvt Ltd. He had earlier served at Cochin Shipyard Limited in Kochi, Kerala, where naval ships are under construction.

Udupi SP Hariram Shankar said the accused had unlawfully shared, via WhatsApp, confidential identification numbers of Navy-related ships and other classified details while working in Kerala, allegedly for illegal gains.

After joining the Malpe shipyard unit, Rohit reportedly continued collecting sensitive information through a friend in Kochi and circulated it to unauthorised individuals, violating national security protocols and potentially endangering India’s sovereignty, unity, and integrity.

Based on the complaint, Malpe Police registered a case under Section 152 of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) and Sections 3 and 5 of the Official Secrets Act, 1923.

A police team led by Karkala Subdivision Assistant Superintendent of Police Harsha Priyamvada—along with PSI Anil Kumar D, ASI Harish, and PC Ravi Jadhav—conducted the investigation and arrested the two accused, identified as Rohit (29) and Santri (37), both residents of Sultanpur district, Uttar Pradesh.

The duo was produced before the court, which remanded them in judicial custody till December 3. Further investigation is in progress.

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News Network
November 21,2025

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An Indian Air Force (IAF) Tejas fighter jet crashed on Friday, November 21, afternoon during its aerial demonstration at the Dubai Air Show, plunging to the ground at around 2:10 pm local time while performing a manoeuvre before thousands of spectators.

The IAF confirmed the incident, stating that a Tejas aircraft participating in the show had crashed and that further details were being gathered. An Air Force spokesperson said more information would be shared after initial assessments.

The crash sent thick black smoke billowing into the sky near the airport, causing panic among visitors, including families and children who had gathered to watch the display. Authorities have not yet confirmed whether the pilot managed to eject before the aircraft went down. Emergency response teams rushed to the scene, and officials have not released information on casualties or damage so far.

The Tejas is a 4.5-generation, multi-role fighter aircraft developed indigenously by Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL). Designed for versatility, it is capable of offensive air support, close combat, ground attack missions and maritime operations. The aircraft family includes single-seat fighters and twin-seat trainers for both the Air Force and Navy.

HAL describes the latest version, the LCA Mk1A, as the most advanced in the series, featuring an AESA radar, an upgraded electronic warfare suite with radar-warning and self-protection jamming, smart multifunction displays, a digital map generator, a combined interrogator–transponder system and a modern radio altimeter. These enhancements significantly improve the aircraft’s combat capability and survivability.

Further updates from IAF and UAE authorities are awaited.

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News Network
November 24,2025

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Israeli forces have pushed over the Syrian frontier, erecting a checkpoint and stopping vehicles in the southwestern city of Quneitra, in yet another breach of the Arab country’s sovereignty.

The violation took place on Sunday, when the troops made their way across the border, setting up the outpost near the Ain al-Bayda junction in northern Quneitra, Syrian outlets reported.

According to the al-Ikhbariya paper, an Israeli detachment positioned itself at the junction, halting cars and conducting searches.

The Syrian Arab News Agency (SANA) reported that three Israeli military vehicles then moved further into the northern countryside, deploying between the town of Jubata al-Khashab and the villages of Ofaniya and Ain al-Bayda. The agency added that a separate Israeli unit mounted a new incursion in the central region, approaching the villages of Umm Batina and al-Ajraf.

Residents said such activities have surged in recent months, pointing to Israeli advances onto farmland, leveling of extensive forested areas, arrests, and spread of mobile checkpoints.

The Israeli regime began markedly increasing its military aggression against Syria last year.

The escalation coincided with increasingly ferocious onslaughts throughout the country by the so-called Hay'at Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) Takfiri terrorist group, which the government of President Bashar al-Assad had confined to northwestern Syria. The HTS, however, managed to overthrow the government as the Israeli attacks would pummel the country’s civilian and defensive infrastructure.

Various reports have shown that, during the escalation, the regime conducted more than 1,000 airstrikes on the Syrian territory and over 400 ground raids into the south.

Following the collapse of the Assad government, Tel Aviv also widened its grip over the occupied Golan Heights by taking control of a demilitarized buffer zone, in defiance of a 1974 Disengagement Agreement. Earlier this month, senior Israeli officials, including Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, visited the buffer zone, prompting expressions of alarm on the part of the United Nations.

The United States, the regime’s biggest ally, has, meanwhile, been fraternizing the HTS head Abu Mohammed al-Jolani amid the widely reported prospect of rapprochement with Tel Aviv.

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