India has formally restored full diplomatic relations with Afghanistan, elevating its Kabul Technical Mission to a full fledged embassy. The announcement was made Friday by External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar, standing alongside his Afghan counterpart, Amir Khan Muttaqi, in New Delhi, according to NDTV.
“India is fully committed to the sovereignty, territorial integrity, and independence of Afghanistan,” Jaishankar said, calling the move a reaffirmation of India’s “deep interest” in the country’s stability and development.
The decision marks the most significant step in bilateral engagement since 2021, when India evacuated its embassy as the Taliban seized power. Consulates in Afghan cities were closed, and staff were flown out on military aircraft. Months later, India cautiously re-established a limited technical team in Kabul under Taliban security assurances.
Now, with relations warming, India is pledging more. Jaishankar announced six new development projects and extended humanitarian aid, including 20 ambulances, advanced medical equipment, vaccines, and cancer medicines.
Muttaqi, in turn, praised India’s support during Afghanistan’s recent earthquake, which killed more than 2,000 people. “Afghanistan looks at India as a close friend and wants relations based on mutual respect, trade, and people-to-people ties,” he said. Importantly, he pledged that Afghan soil would not be used for activities hostile to India, an assurance that comes as Pakistan carries out military strikes inside Afghanistan, claiming cross border terrorism.
The reopening of a full embassy in Kabul, after four years of reduced presence, signals a new chapter in India-Afghanistan ties. For New Delhi, it is both a diplomatic gamble and a strategic necessity, balancing humanitarian commitments, regional security, and a long-standing friendship with the Afghan people.
