Noor Jalal Jalali, the Taliban’s minister of public health, has arrived in India, marking the first official visit by a Taliban official of his rank to the country, according to India’s Ministry of External Affairs.
Randhir Jaiswal, the ministry’s spokesperson, said the visit reflects India’s continued support for Afghanistan’s health sector and that New Delhi looks forward to “constructive and productive” talks with the Taliban.
The visit comes amid strained relations and recent clashes between the Taliban and Pakistan. Taliban officials have stepped up diplomatic engagement with India in recent months, and Jalali’s trip marks the third visit by a Taliban cabinet minister to India in nearly three months.
Taliban Foreign Minister Amir Khan Muttaqi visited India on 8 October after receiving travel authorisation from the United Nations Security Council. He travelled at the official invitation of India’s external affairs minister. Separately, Nooruddin Azizi, the Taliban’s minister of industry and commerce, led a delegation to India on 19 November.
Relations between the Taliban and Pakistan have deteriorated over the presence of Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan fighters in Afghanistan, with heavy fighting reported in recent months. During Muttaqi’s visit to India, Pakistan launched airstrikes inside Afghanistan, and clashes continued for more than a week.
Georgette Gagnon, UNAMA’s deputy special representative, has said that at least 50 civilians were killed and 453 others wounded in clashes between Taliban forces and Pakistan between 10 and 17 October.
Following the fighting, border crossings have remained closed for nearly two months. The Taliban have said they are seeking alternative transit and trade routes and aim to strengthen commercial ties with other countries.
Earlier, the Taliban’s minister of commerce said India was a suitable destination for Afghan agricultural exports, putting the current volume of trade between the two sides at about $1 billion.
Since Taliban officials began visiting India, New Delhi has on several occasions sent consignments of medical supplies and food assistance to Afghanistan.
