A planned visit to India by Afghan foreign minister Amir Khan Muttaqi this month has been called off in view of an existing travel ban he faces under UN Security Council sanctions, people familiar with the matter said on Friday.

The visit was postponed after he could not get a waiver for the trip, they said.

If the visit had taken place, then it would have been the first ministerial visit from Kabul to India after the Taliban seized power in Afghanistan in August 2021.
The UN Security Council had slapped sanctions against all the leading Taliban leaders and they need to secure a waiver for foreign travels.

External Affairs Ministry spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal, when asked at his weekly media briefing about reports of Muttaqi’s proposed visit to India, did not give a direct reply.

“As you are aware, we have longstanding ties with the people of Afghanistan. India continues to support the aspirations and developmental needs of the Afghan people,” he said.”We continue to have engagements with Afghan authorities. If there is an update on this account, we will share it with you,” he said.External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar had phone conversation with Muttaqi on May 15. It was the highest level of contact between New Delhi and Kabul since the Taliban came to power.

India has not yet recognised the Taliban set up and has been pitching for the formation of a truly inclusive government in Kabul.

New Delhi has also been insisting that Afghan soil must not be used for any terrorist activities against any country.

If the visit had gone ahead, Muttaqi would have been the first minister from the Taliban setup in Kabul to travel to India since the group seized power in Afghanistan after the collapse of the Ashraf Ghani government in August 2021. All Taliban leaders sanctioned by the UN Security Council have to secure a waiver for foreign travel.

Pakistan currently heads the 1988 sanctions committee of the UN Security Council that oversees the implementation of the travel ban, an assets freeze, and an arms embargo related to sanctioned Taliban leaders, and the people cited above said on condition of anonymity that Islamabad is believed to have been behind the move to deny Muttaqi a waiver.

Also Read: Trump says India, Russia ‘lost’ to ‘darkest China’. New Delhi says no comments

The 1988 sanctions committee includes all 15 members of the Security Council, and a waiver can be blocked if even one member objects to it. Muttaqi’s planned visit to Pakistan last month was called off after the US reportedly objected to a waiver.

When external affairs ministry spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal was asked at a weekly media briefing about reports of Muttaqi’s planned visit to India, he replied: “As you are aware, we have longstanding ties with the people of Afghanistan. India continues to support the aspirations and developmental needs of the Afghan people.

“We continue to have engagements with Afghan authorities. If there is an update on this account, we will share it with you.”

The people said a waiver for Muttaqi was sought from the 1988 sanctions committee but it wasn’t granted. The planned visit to India was being seen as a follow-up to a phone call between Muttaqi and external affairs minister S Jaishankar in May – the first such interaction between the two sides.

Also Read: India will ‘undoubtedly’ keep buying Russian oil, says Nirmala Sitharaman

The phone conversation also built on a meeting between Muttaqi and foreign secretary Vikram Misri in Dubai in January and came against the backdrop of tensions between India and Pakistan. The Taliban had also condemned the Pahalgam terror attack in April.

India has quietly built up its contacts with the Taliban leadership in recent years, mainly to protect regional interests at a time when China has sought to expand its footprint in Afghanistan, and Muttaqi and Jaishankar had spoken on the phone again on September 1 after New Delhi dispatched relief materials to help the victims of a devastating earthquake that struck the Afghan province of Kunar.

The people said that Muttaqi’s visit had only been called off, and it is expected to go ahead in the coming months once the issue of the waiver on the travel ban is addressed.

 

The Ministry of Civil Aviation organised the North East Region Ministers’ Conference on Civil Aviation 2025 and the 3rd North East Aviation Summit in Itanagar, Arunachal Pradesh. The event brought together key leaders including Shri Pema Khandu, Chief Minister of Arunachal Pradesh, as Chief Guest, and Shri Rammohan Naidu, Union Minister for Civil Aviation, as Guest of Honour. Senior ministers from Mizoram, Sikkim, and Assam also participated, reflecting the collective importance given to aviation-led development in the region.

In his inaugural address, Shri Pema Khandu highlighted the critical role of transportation connectivity in driving growth in the North East. He noted that in the last decade, the region has witnessed unprecedented progress in aviation infrastructure. With schemes like UDAN, long-cherished dreams of Arunachal Pradesh residents to have their own airports have been fulfilled, transforming the socio-economic landscape of the state and the broader region.

Union Minister Shri Rammohan Naidu stressed the importance of strengthening Centre-State-Industry partnerships to accelerate aviation growth. He emphasised that enhanced connectivity is vital for border access, tourism promotion, cargo movement, and industrial development. The Minister urged states to expand tourism infrastructure and skilling programs to complement aviation growth, noting that employment opportunities for youth must be prioritised alongside infrastructure expansion.

The Minister shared that operational airports in the region have increased from nine in 2014 to sixteen at present. Aircraft movements have nearly doubled, while domestic passenger traffic has tripled. To support further expansion, the Centre will offer four pre-feasibility studies annually for new Greenfield airports at no cost, enabling states to plan their aviation projects without financial constraints.

During discussions, state leaders highlighted how aviation connectivity will strengthen tourism, trade, healthcare, emergency services, and entrepreneurship. They underscored the role of new airports, heliports, and cargo facilities in reducing travel time, boosting exports of local products, and attracting investments. Industry players, including airlines, OEMs, MROs, cargo operators, and drone companies, engaged in dialogues to identify investment opportunities and address implementation challenges.

Looking ahead, the Ministry announced its flagship event Wings India 2026, scheduled from 28–31 January 2026. Organized with AAI and FICCI, the event will serve as a global platform to showcase India’s aviation growth story, promote policy dialogue, and foster international partnerships. With these initiatives, civil aviation is set to become a transformative enabler of Viksit Bharat @2047, giving new wings to North East India’s aspirations.