As Afghan Taliban Minister Begins 1st India Visit, Delhi Has A Flag Dilemma

Afghanistan's UN-sanctioned Foreign Minister has landed in India for a week-long visit. Amir Khan Muttaqi's trip -- made possible after the UN Security Council granted him a travel waiver -- is the first visit by a top Taliban leader to India since they returned to power in 2021 following the withdrawal of US-led forces.

During his trip, the Afghan minister is likely to call on External Affairs Minister (EAM) S Jaishankar and National Security Advisor (NSA) Ajit Doval. The visit comes at a crucial time for regional diplomacy and is expected to be closely watched by neighbours in Islamabad, as New Delhi looks to deepen its engagement with the Taliban government in Kabul.

Delhi's Dilemma

But as the South Block prepares for the bilateral engagements, officials have a flag dilemma. The diplomatic protocol dictates that the Indian flag be placed alongside the flag of the country of the visiting leader-- behind them and/or on the table-- for photo ops.

Since India doesn't recognise the Taliban's rule in Afghanistan, it also does not give official status to the Taliban flag. So far, New Delhi has not allowed the Taliban to fly its flag -- a plain white cloth with the black words of the shahada, the Islamic declaration of faith -- at the Afghan Embassy in New Delhi. The embassy still flies the old flag of the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan, which was official at the time of now-ousted President Ashraf Ghani.

During the past meeting between the Indian officials and Muttaqi, Kabul has used the Taliban flag in the background. During Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri's meeting with Muttaqi in Dubai earlier this year, officials navigated the problem by not putting any flag in the background-- neither the tricolour nor the Taliban's. But this time, the meeting is in Delhi, and the issue is posing as a diplomatic challenge for officials.

Significance Of Muttaqi's Visit

Historically, India and Afghanistan had friendly relations, but New Delhi shut its embassy in Kabul after the 2021 US withdrawal from the war-shattered country and the return to power of the Taliban. India opened a small mission a year later to facilitate trade, medical support and humanitarian aid.

New Delhi does not officially recognise the Taliban government but has taken tentative steps to thaw ties with meetings and talks between senior officials in their respective foreign ministries.

Muttaqi's visit to India is expected to add a new dimension to India's relations with the Taliban set up in Kabul. It comes days after India joined Russia, China and seven other nations to oppose efforts to deploy foreign military infrastructure in Afghanistan, against the backdrop of US President Donald Trump's calls to the Taliban regime to hand over the strategic Bagram airbase. After the meeting, the countries, in a statement, said they supported the active integration of Afghanistan into the system of regional connectivity."

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

Muttaqi's visit follows his phone call with External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar on May 15 in the wake of Operation Sindoor, when the Kabul regime condemned the terror attack in Pahalghan.

In January, the Taliban regime described India as an "important" regional and economic power following talks between Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri and Muttaqi.