New Delhi: India is set to re-establish a full-fledged embassy in Kabul, expand medical aid, and resume pending infrastructure projects in Afghanistan, strengthening its strategic and humanitarian engagement with the country. The move was announced after External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar met Afghanistan’s Interim Foreign Minister Amir Khan Muttaqi in New Delhi on Friday.
During the talks, Jaishankar outlined India’s development plans for Afghanistan, including maintenance schedules for completed projects such as roads and hospitals, and the provision of medical equipment, vaccinations, and cancer medicines. He announced a gift of 20 ambulances, five of which were handed over personally to the Afghan delegation. Additionally, India will supply MRI and CT scan machines and continue providing drug rehabilitation materials through the UNODC.
“Pleased to announce the upgrading of India’s Technical Mission in Kabul to the status of Embassy of India,” Jaishankar told Muttaqi, recalling that New Delhi had closed its embassy immediately after the Taliban returned to power in August 2021. A technical team resumed operations in 2022, and a new visa module launched in April now allows Afghan nationals to apply under six categories, including medical, business, and student visas.
The bilateral talks also addressed shared concerns over cross-border terrorism. “We appreciate your sensitivity towards India’s security concerns. Your solidarity with us in the aftermath of the Pahalgam terrorist attack was noteworthy,” Jaishankar said. Both sides agreed to coordinate efforts against terrorism in all forms.
India reaffirmed its commitment to Afghanistan’s infrastructure, offering maintenance and repair of completed projects and steps to finalize pending initiatives. Prior to 2021, India had invested nearly $3 billion across multiple projects in Afghanistan. The talks also covered humanitarian assistance, including reconstruction of homes affected by recent earthquakes in Kunar and Nangarhar, delivery of food grains, and aid to forcibly repatriated Afghan refugees.
Cooperation on water management and irrigation was also discussed, with India expressing readiness to assist in the sustainable management of Afghanistan’s water resources—a key consideration as several Afghan rivers feed into the Indus, Pakistan’s main river.
The developments come even as Kabul experienced two explosions overnight, with former US envoy Zalmay Khalilzad warning of heightened risks from alleged Pakistani strikes in the Afghan capital. The Taliban has yet to comment on the reported strikes.
