Afghanistan's Foreign Minister Amir Khan Muttaqi is set to extend his landmark six-day visit to India with stops at the historic Darul Uloom Deoband seminary in Uttar Pradesh on Saturday and the iconic Taj Mahal in Agra on Sunday, officials confirmed. This itinerary, blending cultural reverence and diplomatic signalling, marks the highest-level Taliban engagement with India since the group's 2021 takeover in Kabul.
Muttaqi, who arrived in New Delhi on Wednesday, held talks with External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar on Thursday, focusing on trade, security, and humanitarian aid, amid shared concerns over regional stability. His Deoband visit underscores Afghanistan's Sunni roots and India's historical ties to the institution, founded in 1866 as a centre of Islamic scholarship influencing the subcontinent's Deobandi movement.
In Saharanpur's Deoband, roughly 150 km from Delhi, Muttaqi is scheduled to arrive around noon for a day-long programme at Darul Uloom, one of South Asia's premier Islamic seminaries with over 4,000 students. He will meet Rector Mufti Abul Qasim Nomani, Jamiat Ulama-e-Hind president Maulana Arshad Madani, and other senior clerics, alongside interactions with Afghan pupils and a tour of the seminary's ancient library housing rare manuscripts. Mufti Rehan Usmani, the officer in charge, noted initial plans for a two-day stay were curtailed due to scheduling, but preparations include a formal reception.
Superintendent of Police Sagar Jain detailed "comprehensive security arrangements", with police and intelligence units deployed, reflecting the visit's sensitivity given the Taliban's and India's complex relations. Local excitement is palpable, with students viewing it as a nod to Afghanistan's scholarly heritage.
On Sunday, Muttaqi will depart Delhi at 8 a.m. via the Yamuna Motorway, arriving at Agra's Shilpgram near the Taj Mahal's eastern gate by 11 a.m. Escorted by an electric golf cart, he plans to spend 90 minutes exploring the 17th-century Mughal marvel—a UNESCO World Heritage site symbolising eternal love and Indo-Islamic architecture—before returning in the afternoon. Agra authorities have ramped up security, with a senior official vowing "no lapses," including restricted access and heightened surveillance. The outing highlights India's soft power diplomacy, using heritage sites to foster goodwill despite global isolation of the Taliban over human rights, particularly women's restrictions.
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Muttaqi's tour assumes added geopolitical weight as India and Afghanistan navigate frosty ties with Pakistan, accused of harbouring militants behind cross-border attacks like the 2019 Pulwama bombing that killed 40 Indian paramilitaries. New Delhi's pragmatic outreach—providing wheat shipments and scholarships—aims to counterbalance Islamabad's influence and secure interests in Central Asia via projects like Chabahar port.
Yet, the visit drew controversy Friday when women journalists were excluded from Muttaqi's embassy presser, prompting Congress leader Priyanka Gandhi Vadra to decry it as an "insult" to Indian women. As Muttaqi wraps up Monday, his engagements signal cautious thawing, balancing realpolitik with principles in a volatile neighbourhood.
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