Iran Begins Issuing Work Visas For Afghan Labourers

In a statement, the ministry said the move underscores “India’s firm commitment to strengthening bilateral engagement” with Afghanistan’s Taliban in all areas.

The decision to reopen the embassy at full capacity was made during the recent visit of Taliban Foreign Minister Amir Khan Muttaqi to New Delhi, the statement added.

The ministry said the embassy will play an expanded role in supporting Afghanistan’s development, providing humanitarian assistance, and implementing capacity-building programmes.

India’s External Affairs Minister Subrahmanyam Jaishankar also confirmed the decision during his recent meeting with Muttaqi, saying New Delhi intends to deepen its engagement with Afghanistan.

Since the Taliban’s return to power in 2021, India had maintained only a “technical mission” in Kabul, focusing on humanitarian and development cooperation.

In a statement, the group said its fighters targeted a Taliban military vehicle near the Chaman-e-Hozori gate. Local residents reported hearing a loud explosion at the time of the incident.

The AFF also released a video purportedly showing the attack, claiming the vehicle belonged to Taliban forces and that none of its members were injured. The footage includes the sound of an explosion.

Taliban officials have not yet commented on the reported attack.

The man had previously been sentenced to four years in prison for sexual assault and aggravated battery. After serving his sentence, he was transferred on Tuesday, 21 October, from Vienna to Istanbul and then on to Kabul.

Austrian Chancellor Karl Nehammer said the government maintains a zero-tolerance policy toward individuals who lose their right to stay in the country due to criminal offences. “Anyone who does not follow our rules will have to leave,” he said.

Interior Minister Gerhard Karner confirmed that more deportations are being prepared, adding that the process would continue “with determination.”

The move follows an earlier Austrian delegation visit to Kabul to assess the feasibility of deportations. In September, representatives of the Taliban travelled to Vienna to coordinate the technical details of the plan.

According to Austrian reports, around 30 more Afghan nationals are currently on the list for deportation to Afghanistan.

According to Mashriq, a Peshawar-based newspaper, the visit will focus on facilitating cross-border commerce, regulating the movement of goods and people, and implementing the “One Document Regime” aimed at streamlining trade procedures between the two countries.

Sources cited by the paper said the trip had been planned in advance and is not linked to recent clashes at the Torkham border crossing or the rising tension between Kabul and Islamabad.

However, the delegation’s agenda also includes discussions on enforcing the recently agreed ceasefire and addressing Pakistan’s demand that the Taliban curb Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) and other armed groups operating from Afghan territory.

Government sources said another key objective of the visit is to build mutual trust and develop a joint framework for regional stability and security between the Taliban and Islamabad.

His remarks came after both the Afghan Taliban and Imran Khan, the imprisoned leader of Pakistan’s Tehreek-e-Insaf party, urged Islamabad to resolve its dispute with the TTP through dialogue.

Pakistan and the Afghan Taliban reached a Qatar-mediated ceasefire agreement on Sunday to halt hostilities following a week of border clashes.

Asif said the Taliban delegation in Doha had pledged to restrain Pakistani militants, adding that the continuation of the ceasefire depended on the Taliban’s commitment to that promise. He described the talks as having taken place in a "friendly atmosphere.”

The defence minister also clarified that the draft ceasefire agreement contains only four clauses, dismissing the longer version circulating on social media as fabricated.

He added that further discussions on the ceasefire’s implementation will be held in Türkiye in the coming days, while noting that he remains cautiously optimistic about the Taliban administration’s adherence to the truce.