Afghanistan’s Taliban-led government has appointed its first formal diplomatic representative to India since returning to power in 2021, marking a significant development in cautious engagement between Kabul and New Delhi, despite India not officially recognising the Taliban administration.
According to the Afghan embassy and reports by international media, Mufti Noor Ahmad Noor has assumed the role of Charge d’Affaires at Afghanistan’s embassy in New Delhi. The appointment represents the first major Taliban-era diplomatic posting to India since the group took control of Afghanistan in August 2021.
The French news agency AFP reported that the appointment is the Taliban government’s first formal diplomatic deployment to India. While India has not recognised the Taliban as Afghanistan’s legitimate government, the move is widely seen as a signal of improving working-level relations between the two sides.
In a statement posted on social media platform X on Monday, the Afghan embassy said that both parties had emphasised the importance of strengthening Afghanistan–India relations. The embassy also shared photographs showing Mufti Noor Ahmad Noor meeting senior Indian officials, including Anand Prakash, a senior official in India’s Ministry of External Affairs. The Indian government has so far not issued an official comment on the appointment.
Mufti Noor Ahmad Noor is a senior Taliban official who previously served as director general of the first political department at Afghanistan’s foreign ministry. He was also part of the delegation that accompanied Taliban foreign minister Amir Khan Muttaqi during a week-long visit to India in October 2025, the first visit by a senior Taliban leader to India since 2021. That visit required special approval from the UN Security Council, as Mr Muttaqi remains under UN sanctions, including travel restrictions.
India closed its embassy in Kabul following the withdrawal of US-led NATO forces in 2021 but reopened a limited mission in 2022 to facilitate humanitarian aid, trade, and medical assistance. Following Mr Muttaqi’s visit in October 2025, New Delhi announced plans to fully reopen its embassy in Afghanistan.
India has also allowed Taliban-appointed officials to staff Afghan consulates in cities such as Mumbai and Hyderabad, while the Afghan embassy in Delhi has continued to function under interim arrangements amid uncertainty over its diplomatic status.
According to Indian media reports, Afghan staff appointed under the previous republic government have expressed concerns about their future, including fears of dismissal or pressure to return to Afghanistan. Officials familiar with the matter have said that existing employees would continue their work for now and that the red, green, and black tricolour flag of the former Afghan republic remains flying at the embassy in Delhi. However, these arrangements could be reviewed once the Taliban-appointed envoy formally assumes full control of the mission.
The Taliban administration has not been recognised by the United Nations General Assembly, and most countries have stopped short of formal recognition. Around a dozen countries, including China, Russia, Iran, Pakistan, and Turkey, maintain embassies in Kabul. Russia remains the only country to have formally recognised the Taliban government.
Western governments have repeatedly stated that the main obstacle to international recognition of the Taliban remains its policies toward women, including bans on secondary and higher education for girls, restrictions on women’s employment, and severe limitations on their participation in public life. These issues were also highlighted during the Taliban delegation’s October visit to India, when female journalists were barred from a press conference held by the Afghan foreign minister.