New Delhi: India on Friday confirmed that the UN Security Council (UNSC) Committee has granted an exemption for Afghan foreign minister and senior Taliban leader Mawlawi Amir Khan Muttaqi to travel to New Delhi between October 9-16. MEA spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said the exemption was in the "public domain" but declined to share visit details, adding the media would be updated.

Muttaqi, under a UN travel ban since 2001, is expected to arrive in New Delhi on October 9 or 10. The visit is being seen as a major diplomatic development, as India has not formally recognised the Taliban regime but on Friday referred to him as the "Afghan foreign minister."

Put on the UN sanctions list in 2001, Muttaqi faces a travel ban, assets freeze and arms embargo. The exemption comes months after External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar spoke to him in May following Operation Sindoor, thanking him for condemning the Pahalgam terror attack.

The visit comes amid worsening Pakistan-Afghanistan ties, China's growing influence in Kabul, and US efforts to isolate Iran while seeking a return to the Bagram airbase. India, meanwhile, has supplied humanitarian aid through Chabahar and invested ₹20,000 crore in Afghan projects between 2001-21.

New Delhi had pulled out its diplomats after the Taliban takeover in August 2021, but re-established a "technical mission" in Kabul in June 2022. With aid and regular contacts, ties have gradually strengthened, making this visit a potential turning point in India-Taliban relations.