India, Oct. 12 -- For the first time since the Taliban assumed power in Kabul in August 2021, India has hosted the Taliban foreign minister Amir Khan Muttaqi in New Delhi. New Delhi's policy has so far been a slow but steady engagement of the Taliban, but without recognising the Taliban as the official government of Afghanistan. As a matter of fact, apart from the Russian federation, which recognised the Taliban government a few months ago, no other country has done so thus far.

India has been engaging the Taliban before and after it came to power in Kabul four years ago, and the visit of Muttaqi to India with India officially referring to him as the "foreign minister of Afghanistan" is the closest it has come to recognising the Taliban ...