India to upgrade ‘technical mission’ in Kabul to the status of embassy: Jaishankar

India will upgrade its ‘technical mission’ in Kabul and turn it into an embassy, said External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar on Friday (October 10, 2025). Mr. Jaishankar made the announcement while meeting Amir Khan Muttaqi, Foreign Minister of the Taliban administration in Afghanistan in the Hyderabad House when he also expressed India’s concern about the plight of the Afghan refugees who are being pushed into Afghanistan by Pakistani government and described “cross-border terrorism” as a common challenge to India and Afghanistan.

“India is fully committed to the sovereignty, territorial integrity and independence of Afghanistan. Closer cooperation between us contributes to your national development, as well as regional stability and resilience. To enhance that, I am pleased to announce today the upgrading of India’s Technical Mission in Kabul to the status of Embassy of India,” said External Affairs Minister Jaishankar.

Mr. Jaishankar said India and the Afghanistan have a “common commitment towards growth and prosperity” and added, “However, these are endangered by the shared threat of cross-border terrorism that both our nations face.” Mr. Jaishankar did not name Pakistan in his remarks and urged Foreign Minister Muttaqi to “coordinate efforts” to fight cross border terrorism. Hours before the commencement of official engagements between Mr. Muttaqi and his Indian hosts, Kabul was bombed which reportedly led to the death of the TTP leader Mufti Noor Wali Mehsud. However, the claim has been denied by TTP sources.

Mr. Jaishankar acknowledged Kabul’s condemnation of the terror attack in Pahalgam that killed 26 individuals on April 22 saying, “We appreciate your sensitivity towards India’s security concerns.” He also reiterated the new Indian visa module that has been introduced for Afghan nationals in April 2025 and said New Delhi is issuing more medical, business and student visas.

Mr. Muttaqi had been in contact with Indian officials and had met Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri in Dubai on January 8 when the two sides discussed the roadmap of bilateral relation in the context of unfolding regional dynamics. Since taking charge Taliban has established diplomatic relation with multiple countries including Russia and China. Mr. Muttaqi arrived here early on Thursday from Moscow where he participated in the Moscow format dialogue. Global recognition of the Taliban government in Afghanistan – Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan – has been hampered by multiple factors including the human rights situation in Afghanistan which did not find a mention in Mr. Jaishankar’s remarks.

Highlighting the importance of Mr. Muttaqi’s first ever visit to New Delhi, Mr Jaishankar said, “…a meeting between us in person has a special value in allowing us to exchange perspectives, identify common interests and forge closer cooperation.”

India sent a Technical Team to its mission in Kabul on June 23, 2022, ten months after it had evacuated its diplomatic staff from Afghanistan against the backdrop of violence that broke out when Taliban overthrew the government of President Ashraf Ghani in August 2021. Apart from Kabul, India had consulates in Mazar-i-Sharif, Kandahar, Jalalabad and Herat that were also shut down because of the conflict.

Mr. Jaishankar  expressed concern for the forced repatriation of the afghan refugees from Pakistan and announced, India will “help construct residences for them and continue providing material aid to rebuild their lives.” Mr. Jaishankar described Afghanistan and India as “contiguous neighbour” and said India has “deep interest” in the development and progress of Afghanistan. “We can discuss the maintenance and repairs of finished projects as well as steps to complete others to which we have already committed,” said Mr. Jaishankar.  

He announced that India is ready to commit six new projects in the health domain of Afghanistan saying the details of the projects will be announced soon. The Indian side announced that Mr. Muttaqi will receive a gift of twenty ambulances which will be a “symbolic step”. That apart, India will also provide MRI and CT scan machines to Afghan hospitals and deliver vaccines for immunization and cancer medicines, announced Mr. Jaishankar. He reassured that India will continue to supply relief material for the earthquake-hit communities in eastern Afghanistan and said, “We would like to contribute to the reconstruction of residences in the affected areas.”