The Taliban will not allow Afghan territory to be used against any country, said Amir Khan Muttaqi, Foreign Minister of the Taliban administration in Afghanistan.
Mr. Muttaqi, the first high-level Taliban leader to be hosted by India, held a rare media interaction in the Embassy of Afghanistan where he pitched for stronger bilateral trade ties through the Wagah border crossing between India and Pakistan.
“Today, we held a detailed discussion on our security concerns. The Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan has proved in the past four years that the territory of Afghanistan will not be used against others. Similarly, narcotics is dangerous in terms of its use as well as trafficking, and both sides agreed to carry out joint efforts to eradicate this problem,” said Mr. Muttaqi in his opening remarks. He emphasised that under the rule of the Taliban, terror groups from Pakistan, such as the Lashkar-e-Taiba, that were known to use Afghan territory to train their cadre, have been pushed out of the Afghan territory.
No joint operations
In response to a question on India and Afghanistan carrying out joint operations to rid Afghanistan of terror groups, Mr. Muttaqi said, “There is no question of international terrorists surviving in today’s Afghanistan where the government of the Islamic Emirate is strong.”
“Joint operations would have been necessary if terrorists were found operating in Afghanistan. We carried out extensive operations against terrorists inside Afghanistan over the past four years. During this period, no threat has emanated from the territory of Afghanistan targeting any country,” said Mr. Muttaqi in response to a question on whether Taliban would be willing to initiate joint action with India targeting terrorists in its territory.
Mr. Muttaqi, who used an interpreter to speak in Pashtu and also spoke in Urdu, reiterated the Islamic nature of the Taliban administration and said, “Our government is based on Islamic principle and we want to have friendly and brotherly ties with all countries in our region. This is an opportunity for India also to revive the relationship.”
He refused to confirm reports that suggested that Pakistan carried out airstrikes in Kabul that left the leader of the Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan dead and maintained that locals complained of “some noise but did not witness any attack”.
Better trade ties
Mr. Muttaqi urged greater trade ties with India and said attempts should be made to strengthen trade through Pakistani territory, especially through the Wagah border saying that trade through Wagah is economically viable for Afghans. “India and Pakistan should not shut Wagah as it provides a cheap route to us,” said Mr. Muttaqi, who also called for India to use the Iranian port of Chabahar.
“There are some obstacles on Chabahar because of U.S. sanctions. But these obstacles should be removed. In the past one year, India-Afghanistan trade has crossed $1 billion, so you can imagine how much trade we can do if these obstacles are dealt with,” said Mr. Muttaqi.
He said that the Taliban will not hand over the Bagram airbase to the U.S. as being demanded by President Donald Trump and said, “history is witness” that the people of Afghanistan do not appreciate the presence of foreign troops on their soil.
“Afghanistan has attained independence after four decades and everyone should support our free existence,” said Mr. Muttaqi in the press interaction that drew sharp criticism online for being “all male” and for excluding women reporters. Several women journalists who reached the Afghan embassy were seen sitting outside the premises and were not allowed to enter.
“The condition of women under Taliban has improved just like the overall law and order situation. If the women would have disapproved our rules, they would have come out in protest,” said Mr. Muttaqi, answering a question while describing criticism of the Taliban on gender issues as “international propaganda”.
There were dramatic moments before the press conference when officials accompanying Mr. Muttaqi were challenged by representatives of the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan who continue to run the affairs of the Afghan embassy in Delhi. The embassy officials objected when Mr. Muttaqi’s companions removed the flag of the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan that was overthrown by Taliban in August 2021.
“This is not a Taliban embassy yet and we will not allow your flag here,” said one of the staff members as he prevented the use of a large black-white flag of the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan. However, the Taliban team came ready with a small table-top flag that Mr. Muttaqi placed before him while addressing the media.
Earlier, the Taliban’s flag was not used during Mr. Muttaqi’s meeting with Mr. Jaishankar in Hyderabad House as, despite the high-level engagement, India is yet to formally recognise the Taliban. Mr. Muttaqi, however, promised to send Taliban diplomats to the Afghan embassy in Delhi and said, “First we will send our diplomats and slowly we will upgrade.”
Mr. Muttaqi is scheduled to visit Darul Uloom in Deoband on Saturday (October 11, 2025) where he will hold meetings with students and teachers of the Islamic seminary.
Published – October 10, 2025 11:55 pm IST
