Afghanistan Foreign Minister Amir Khan Muttaqi visited Darul Uloom Deoband, an Islamic seminary in Uttar Pradesh, on Saturday during his visit to India. He met with Jamiat Ulema-e-Hind President Maulana Arshad Madani and expressed gratitude for the warm welcome. Muttaqi arrived in India on October 9 is expected to be in the country until October 16. This is the first ministerial-level visit to India since the Taliban took control of Afghanistan in August 2021.
Muttaqi hopes for improved India-Taliban Relations
Expressing gratitude over the warm welcome during his visit to Darul Uloom Deoband, Muttaqi hoped for improved relations between India and the Taliban. He said, “I am thankful to all of you for the warm welcome given to me by everyone in Deoband and the love showered upon me. I will pray to god that India-Afghanistan relations improve further. After the meeting I had in Delhi, I can say that our future is bright. I hope that our visits between Delhi and Kabul increase.”
Earlier in the day, in conversation with ANI, Muttaqi had highlighted the bright future of India-Afghanistan relations and bilateral ties. He thanked the Ulema and locals for their warm welcome, appreciating the large turnout. “The journey has been very good so far. Not just the people of Darul Uloom, but all the people of the area have come here. I am grateful to them for the warm welcome they extended to me. I am thankful to the Ulema of Deoband and the people of the area for this warm welcome. The future of India-Afghanistan relations seems very bright,” Muttaqi stated.
Jamiat Ulema-e-Hind President on Muttaqi’s visit
Jamiat Ulema-e-Hind President Maulana Arshad Madani also spoke to reporters about Muttaqi’s visit. He stated that that the two did not have any political discussions, but reminisced about Afghanistan’s role in India’s independence. “I told him that our ties with you are not just academic. You contributed to the independence of India. Our forefathers chose the land for Afghanistan to fight for India’s independence. For your independence, you defeated powers like America and Russia. You learnt from us how to do that when we defeated Britain. I told him this meeting shows how the Muslims of India and the Darul Uloom Deoband have deep ties with you. There should be harmony within the nations of the world, irrespective of their religion… We had no political discussion,” stated Madani.
Muttaqi’s visit to India
On 10 October, External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar held detailed discussions with the Afghan Foreign Minister in Delhi. Both sides discussed a wide range of issues of mutual interest, focusing on important regional developments. MEA in its official release, stated that both sides emphasised respect for each other’s sovereignty and territorial integrity, with EAM appreciating Afghan side’s understanding of India’s security concerns. Meanwhile, Muttaqi reiterated the commitment that the Afghan government will not allow any group or individual to use the territory of Afghanistan against India.
