UN Travel Ban Blocks Afghan FM’s India Visit
UN sanctions block Muttaqi’s historic trip.
A planned visit by Afghan Foreign Minister Amir Khan Muttaqi to India, scheduled for September 2025, has been canceled due to a United Nations Security Council (UNSC) travel ban, sources confirmed on September 5, 2025. The trip, which would have marked the first ministerial visit from Kabul to New Delhi since the Taliban seized power in August 2021, was derailed after Muttaqi failed to secure a travel waiver from the UNSC’s 1988 Sanctions Committee, which oversees restrictions on Taliban leaders, including travel bans and asset freezes under Resolution 1988 (2011).
The cancellation follows India’s formal invitation to Muttaqi, signaling a potential thaw in India-Afghanistan relations despite New Delhi’s refusal to recognize the Taliban government. The visit was seen as a follow-up to a May 15, 2025, phone call between External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar and Muttaqi, the highest-level contact between the two nations since the Taliban’s return to power. Sources indicated that India had made logistical and diplomatic arrangements, but the US, a key player in the sanctions committee, likely opposed the waiver, echoing its reported block of Muttaqi’s planned Pakistan visit in August 2025.
Ministry of External Affairs spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal, addressing queries during a Friday briefing, avoided confirming the visit’s cancellation, stating, “We have longstanding ties with the people of Afghanistan. India continues to support their aspirations and developmental needs.” He added that engagements with Afghan authorities are ongoing, with updates to follow.
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India’s cautious engagement with the Taliban includes humanitarian aid and technical support through its Kabul embassy, reopened in 2022, and control of Afghanistan’s consulates in Mumbai and Hyderabad. New Delhi insists on an inclusive government in Kabul and that Afghan soil not be used for terrorism, reflecting its strategic interests in regional stability and counter-terrorism.
The cancellation underscores the challenges of diplomatic outreach under UN sanctions, with analysts suggesting it may delay but not derail India’s efforts to engage with Afghanistan amid shifting regional dynamics, including growing China-Taliban ties.
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